25/03/2024

"In the Classics, nobody is unbeatable" - Fabian Cancellara previews open Tour of Flanders with several contenders

E3 Saxo Classic and Gent - Wevelgem were two very different races, but with one common denominator. Mathieu van der Poel was on the attack in both, but other riders have been able to match him and ahead of the Tour of Flanders the World Champion is anything but unbeatable according to Fabian Cancellara.

"The most obvious takeaway from Gent-Wevelgem is that Mathieu van der Poel is human. He was impressive again on Sunday, but in the end, he lost out to Mads Pedersen," Cancellara, former rider of the current Lidl-Trek structure, said in a column for Cyclingnews. "That’s a lesson for anybody who thought Mathieu was going to be unbeatable this Spring after his performance at E3 Saxo Classic. He’s not unbeatable. In cycling, and especially in the Classics, nobody is unbeatable."

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Van der Poel attacked time and time again on both races and for that reason, looks to be the strongest figure in the field at the moment. However Alpecin-Deceuninck has not yet shown it's depth in the cobbles, whilst Team Visma | Lease a Bike did at the Opening Weekend and Lidl-Trek now did at Gent - Wevelgem. This Sunday, team tactics and great legs saw Pedersen beat van der Poel on a head to head.

"All of this means that Pedersen has put himself up there with Van der Poel as a top favourite for next week at the Tour of Flanders," Cancellara believes. "But it’s not just Mads, of course – it’s Mads and Lidl-Trek together. The team is a real top contender for the Tour of Flanders now." However Wout van Aert looked just as impressive last Friday, suffering a crash on the Paterberg but nearly bridging across to van der Poel once again after a 30-second time loss.

PREVIEW | Dwars door Vlaanderen 2024 - In the absence of van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen fight for victory in final classic before Flanders

This Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen will now see a clash between van Aert and Pedersen; but most importantly between the two teams that have shown themselves collectively the strongest throughout the spring classics. There, more tactical racing is possible. In Flanders the legs will matter the most, but with three almost equally positioned rivals into the second monument of the season, great spectacle can be expected.

"In any case, I think we’re going to have a very open race for the podium – and even for the win. Van der Poel is a great rider and he’s in great form, but it’s possible to beat him. It’s more than possible. They’re all human. In cycling, there are no robots."