"I don't think I can get much better than this level" - Mathieu van der Poel ready for Tour de France after explosive Baloise Belgium Tour victory
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel chose to stay in Belgium to prepare for the Tour de France racing wise, after a few days of competition he has found great form and has taken a convincing solo win at the Baloise Belgium Tour whilst already in the lead of the race.
“It was mainly a choice because I can ride at the intensity here,” the Dutchman told Wielerflits after his triumph. “In Switzerland there are many climbing stages, while here we can ride for the win every day with the team. I am glad we made this choice. The past teaches me that this kind of effort makes me better. I am a rider who needs that course hardness.”
The hilly and punchy days is why he has opted to not race either Dauphiné and Suisse, whilst in Belgium he faces other classics riders and sprinters who will be present at the Tour. Although competition was more modest, he managed to defend his race lead in yesterday's queen stage, and then attack into a solo victory from far out.
“Everyone was sitting on their gums. The intention was to drive away with a few men, but no one joined. I had a nice gap right away. Then it was a very thankless task to continue on my own on the wide roads. I didn't look back, but purely rode the wattages that I knew I could keep up with until the finish. In the end it was still a long way to the finish.”
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His gap eventually came down as Thibau Nys tode to second place out of the first chasing group, but both stage and overall win were in the pocket. He still has to get through today's stage which should end in a sprint, but he has achieved what he hoped for.
“I don't think I can get much better than this level. I will mainly have to rest for the coming period. Next week the national championships on the road will be on my program. Normally I can get a small benefit from my altitude training in the coming period. But my level won't get much higher than it is now. I think I'm right on schedule," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- A great champion but a better human. jus' sayin'
Davide15-11-2026 - Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
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Queen stage of @belgium_tour in Durbuy in 4 photos. Congrats @mathieuvdpoel, congrats team! #alpecindeceuninck
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