“He rarely disappoints for the national team" - Dutch legend expectant of Mathieu van der Poel ahead of Paris Olympic road race

Mathieu van der Poel will look to add Olympic gold to his Rainbow Jersey this weekend in Paris as the men's peloton fight it out in the road race. Considered one of the pre-race favourites, there is much expectation on Van der Poel's shoulders back in the Netherlands.

"Everyone expects him to ride like he did last year in Glasgow. He will definitely be good but it is such a difficult race with a team of three," previews Dutch cycling legend Michael Boogerd in quoted collected by Wielerrevue. "I have confidence because he has never let us down. Look at his palmares in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Mathieu is always there."

A big benefit for Van der Poel in Boogerd's opinion is his proven track record of success when donning the Orange of his nation, whether that be on the road or in cyclocross. “He rarely disappoints for the national team," explains the two-time Tour de France stage winner explains. "Even when he had a flawed preparation for the World Championship in Leuven (8th in 2021), he also rode really well there. If the race goes a bit well, he will be very close. I am convinced of that.”

With the Netherlands taking just a three man lineup as Daan Hoole and Dylan van Baarle join Van der Poel though, the Olympics, will as always be a very hard race to control. “Daan Hoole and Dylan van Baarle will also have to race aggressively, because it is of course very difficult to control things in this competition. I hope that Van Baarle is good. He has not yet won a flat prize this year. He has not ridden a spring and fell in the Dauphiné," Boogers assesses of the support around Van der Poel. "It would have made more sense to take Wout Poels, who also rides well and has the Tour under his belt. But that's how it works with those early selections for the Games. Van Baarle can't do anything about that either."

"I'm a fan of Van Baarle, don't get me wrong," Boogerd clarifies in conclusion. "But normally you select riders who are in shape for a championship. He has trained, so he will probably be fine. Van Baarle will certainly not be in Mickey Mouse shape at the start in Paris."