Mathieu van der Poel acknowledges difficulty ahead of Tour of Flanders: "Van Aert and Pogačar are both dangerous in their own way"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel was the winner of the Tour of Flanders in both 2020 and 2022. He is one of the riders who will know best what to do this Sunday, however despite his great form and motivation, he will find very tough competition in Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar.
“Everyone has seen that Jumbo-Visma stands out. After what they have shown in recent weeks, it makes sense that they will be looked at. But that does not alter the fact that I also think that we should take the initiative when it is necessary," van der Poel said in the pre-race press conference this morning.
At the E3 Saxo Classic, after bouncing back to form at Milano-Sanremo, he proved to be in the right form to win big once again. He anticipated Jumbo-Visma's strategical moves and attacked the race hard twice and early, creating the winning move alongside van Aert and Pogacar - who joined another trio upfront, but later went up the road by themselves.
The trio stood apart at the clear strongest in what was the most important run-up race to Flanders. They were very evenly matched and the win came down to a sprint, won by the Belgian. “Van Aert and Pogačar are both dangerous in their own way. Tadej prefers to ride alone to the finish, he will try to ride us on the climb. Wout, on the other hand, is the most difficult rider in the sprint," he continues.
"In the past three editions, we always rode two to the finish in Oudenaarde. Entering alone would be something special, but that is not easy because after the Paterberg it is still a long way," van der Poel tells. The forecast is of a cross-headwind into town on Sunday, which won't benefit solo attackers.
The pressure isn't on as much for the Alpecin-Deceunink rider however who has won the first monument of the season. “If you have won a monument, it is always a bit easier afterwards. But that does not mean that I will start with less ambition," he assures. "Along the way in E3 I definitely felt with the best in the race and that's what I took with me. Although you cannot completely compare that race with the Ronde, which is a lot longer.”
Fatigue was in the past an important factor and something which the 28-year old hasn't managed properly. He's taken that experience this year however. He will have Soren Kragh Andersen too as a big weapon for the team in it's pursuit to take the victory.
“I have noticed in the past that I was usually slightly less in Paris-Roubaix than in the Tour of Flanders. I wanted to avoid that this year. On Sunday I completed one last really long training session, but the following days also had some longer trips on the menu with extra accelerations to be at my best in the Tour," he added,
"The last few days I naturally built in some rest, to keep the freshness. Now I feel that I am more 'race ready'," van der Poel concluded. "Last year it also worked with a slightly less broad base, but then the peak lasts just a little less long. In Roubaix the legs were already a bit less. Hopefully that will be different this year.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
- I agree that, for Evenepoel, the Euro championship is overshadowed by the slightly off Lombardia and Worlds. However, I disagree that "Ciccone also made a serious mistake at the European Championships" because I don't think he had a win in the bag although he could have won with a perfect bike throw. Guesswork about the finish is not evidence by me for some serious mistake. Sometimes you just barely lose - although Ciccone's sourpuss about it persona was serious.flyer14-11-2026
- I bet you photobombed the video since you are his shadow!frieders314-11-2026
Loading
😍 The next monument! One of the most thrilling races, extra special for a Belgian team! And we go back with a lot of good memories from the past 4 years! ➡️ Fans, here is our team for @RondeVlaanderen 🦁 What’s your last message for these 7? Let us know in the comments! 💭
Write a comment