“Everyone knows how exceptional Tadej Pogacar is riding” – Mathieu van der Poel holds hands up after being dropped on the Poggio

Mathieu van der Poel arrives at the E3 Saxo Classic with two narratives following him from Milano-Sanremo: a lingering hand injury from his late crash, and the decisive moment on the Poggio where Tadej Pogacar rode clear. As the defending champion returns to Harelbeke, the Dutchman has addressed both, but without linking one to the other.

Speaking to Sporza ahead of the race, Van der Poel was clear in his assessment of the Poggio, where his bid for victory ended. “Nothing happened that I didn’t expect. Everyone knows how exceptional Tadej Pogacar is riding, and he proved that again.”

That framing places the focus firmly on Pogacar’s level rather than circumstance.

Van der Poel had already made the decisive move on the Cipressa to form the leading group, but when the race lifted again on the final climb, he was unable to respond.

Attention has instead centred on the crash that came before that moment, and the hand injury that followed. It remains visible in his build-up to the E3 Saxo Classic, but not in the way it is being interpreted externally. “It’s a bit of an annoying injury, although that might be overstating it. It’s an awkward wound on my hand and nail. It’s not very pleasant to ride with, but it’s manageable.”

Rather than presenting it as a limiting factor, Van der Poel consistently reduces it to discomfort, even if it is not something that will disappear quickly. “To say I’m in pain would be too much. Again, it’s more uncomfortable and quite annoying, because it will take some time,” he explains. “There’s a gap in that nail, and it takes a while to close again, but I can ride with it. That’s the most important thing.”

The distinction is important. The injury exists and lingers into his return to racing, but his own explanation of Sanremo does not rest on it. The decisive separation came on the Poggio, and in his own words, it unfolded as expected.

That leaves a clear, if slightly uncomfortable, picture heading into Harelbeke. Van der Poel lines up for the E3 Saxo Classic as the standout favourite once again, doing so with a minor physical issue still present, but without any suggestion from the rider himself that it changes the hierarchy he encountered just days earlier.