"I realized that it will be difficult to beat Tadej" - Mathieu van der Poel sends chapeau after Tadej Pogacar's gutsy Strade Bianche performance

Mathieu van der Poel chose a rather unorthodox approach to his early season. After winning Le Samyn last week, he skipped Strade Bianche and will instead ride the Tirreno-Adriatico from this Monday.

"I'm here because I need these seven days of racing to reach my best level in the classics," declares Van der Poel ahead of the Italian stage race, Het Laatse Nieuws reports.

After the Opening Weekend, the Dutchman also skipped the Strade Bianche this weekend. And he didn't even watch the race he won in 2021 live on Saturday afternoon. "Because I was cycling at the time," he explains. "Afterwards I did see some snippets. Strade has changed compared to a few years ago when I won it. It has now become a real climbing race. That's why I found it harder to miss the Belgian opening weekend than Strade Bianche."

Van der Poel's successor in rainbow stripes - Tadej Pogacar lined up to the start as an overwhelming favorite and, despite tearing his world champion's kit at the 50 km mark, he cruised to victory rather smoothly. "It seemed like a nice race and I realize that it will be difficult to beat Tadej in the classics in the coming weeks. He will be the man to beat in every race. But if you get up for a race and you already think that you can't follow, you better not start."

And so what's so shocking about Van der Poel's decision to participate at the Tirreno-Adriatico - a race he already rode three times with three stage triumphs in the past? That there are hardly any stages he could mark out as "ideal". But considering there are no other leaders on Alpecin-Deceuninck lineup, he should have a freedom to do whatever he wishes to.

"I also want to try to win a stage with the team this week. We don't have a sprinter like Jasper Philipsen here, so if an opportunity arises, I will try to seize it. I have few expectations for the time trial, I can't remember the last time I trained on a time trial bike. It is known that it is not my thing."