"If Mathieu wants to be able to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege, it’s now" - Tom Boonen believes van der Poel won't get a better chance to add Liege to monument tally
CyclingThursday, 11 April 2024 at 15:00
In the quest to win all five of cycling's monuments, the race analysts fear will be most difficult for Mathieu van der Poel is Liege-Bastogne-Liege. According to Classics legend Tom Boonen though, this year could be as big of a chance as the Dutchman will ever get.
“If Mathieu wants to be able to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it’s now. The conditions available to him today will probably never come back,” Boonen, a seven-time monument winner in his own right, analyses in conversation with Sporza.
The reason for Boonen's 'now or never' attitude? The vast number of potential winners set to miss out on this year's edition due to injury, including the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. "Among his biggest opponents, only Tadej Pogacar remains, because the others will not be present in Liège due to injuries,” Boonen explains.
"You shouldn't underestimate the other riders either, of course," the 43-year-old Belgian concludes. "But in principle, Mathieu is at least as good as these riders."
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Apr 06, 15:11
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- I don’t think that pays off in cycling, you never know when your next problem will happen, injury, illness, crash, and using so much time to prepare for a big goal risks being very disappointing in a short career.Mistermaumau12-05-2025
- I love Remco but this year is a write-off. The smart move would be to treat it all as preparation for next season.Renz12-05-2025
- What you forget about hunting is that time is on the side of the hunter. You’d be a fool to underestimate rivals who haven’t peaked and I doubt you’ll hear any riders including TP or JV brushing him off like you’re trying. He’s done one GT against them, his first, what were you expecting? Still way ahead of any other contenders and that as a first-timer.Mistermaumau12-05-2025
- Its appears that way. Repeated crashes take a toll on the bodyabstractengineer11-05-2025
- He cannot hunt down something that he has never been close to in GTsabstractengineer11-05-2025
- He's just not the same after the crash at La Vuelta. I hope the knee injury does not "Chris Froome" his career.
KerisVroom11-05-2025 - Well, I didn’t hear any strict instructions from management so why shouldn’t it be like Visma’s infamous Vuelta unless things heat up? Am sure they don’t regret sweeping the podium which was only possible because internal rivalry was at least as strong as external.Mistermaumau11-05-2025
- In principle, but he’ll always have that Planche des Belles Filles TdF loss in his mind nowadays so not sure he’ll be so keen on giving away anything anymoreif he doesn’t really have to. It’s a matter of weighing (dis)advantages and I’m not so sure the media obligations always outweigh the psychological effects that a win or domination bring, unless you’re bad at dealing with pressure which I doubt is the case with Primoz.Mistermaumau11-05-2025
- so sad...
maria2024202410-05-2025 - ahahahha.. but I think Roglic will be very happy to give you back the pink jersey (less interviews, less ceremonies, more time to rest).maria2024202410-05-2025
Sorry but I disagree.
Yes missing players makes some things easier but working against him are:
He’s already had a long season at his peak
It was not his plan to win LBL and so he’s not trained specifically for it.
He’s targeting many other wins for the year, including several Olympics and WC.
He’s only just started working on his climbing weakness and nobody knows how seriously
I am convinced that one day if he really decides to go for a win he’ll train and schedule for it specifically (as for Olympics and his real targets).
One day in the not too distant future it may even be his only remaining goal and then it won’t matter who is in the race or not.
MvdP is not finished improving and adapting to climbing but it is contradictory to what’s best for some of his other goals so pointless to try to do both simultaneously.
He’s got a good chance this year but he may have a better one in 1, 2 or 3 years.