"I think I could have followed him in my prime. But beating him?" Philippe Gilbert on Mathieu van der Poel

Philippe GIlbert on his heyday was one of the best classics riders in the history of cycling, usually in the hilly terrain where he managed to win many of the world's best races, but late in his career he moved to the cobbled classics where he managed to win both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He compares himself to Mathieu van der Poel, but is unsure that he would be able to match the Alpecin-Decuninck rider in his current form.

"I think I could have followed him in my prime. But beating him? That's so difficult. I went to the Maasmechelen cross with my family. When you see how fast he comes in and out of a bend..." Gilbert said to Het Nieuwsblad.

The former Lotto and Quick-Step rider praises van der Poel's technical skills quite a lot and believes that they are part of why the Dutchman is so successful on the road, being able to save energy where others must spend it.

"What kills riders in a race is slowing down and accelerating. And Van der Poel goes in and out of a bend faster than the rest," he points out. "While he probably uses less energy. He also uses his teammates very cleverly. He trusts them one hundred percent. That is a characteristic of the great champions".