One of the most popular and successful cyclists on the planet, it has not been a surprise to see the announcement that Mathieu van der Poel has become an ambassador for a big brand. Lamborghini (Antwerp) has reached out to him and also offered him a new car, to which the Dutchman jokes about in a recent interview.
"Do not worry. If I want to continue with it, I will go to Zolder or Francorchamps. In Schilde and on other Flemish roads I respect the speed limits," van der Poel said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad this morning. “I think it's stylish that way. I'd rather not stand out too much. That is also the reason why no slogans or pictures are painted on the bodywork. I will use the personalized license plate 'I MVDP I'.”
After a successful spring van der Poel is perhaps at the highest he's ever been at his career, fresh off a fifth world title in cyclocross where he outsprinted Wout van Aert near home in Hoogerheide, and now on the road he's taken wins at both Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, making it a tally of three different monuments in his palmarès.
“There will be no trace of Lamborghini on my cycling jerseys. Only the names of our team sponsors will remain there: Alpecin and Deceuninck," he concluded.