Mathieu van der Poel admits to having lost big races due to rookie mistakes: "I've also lost races by trying to entertain myself too much"

Mathieu van der Poel has always been knowing for his aggressive style of racing but that has not always worked out for him. In a recent interview he admits that he has in fact lost several times as he looked to provide a spectacle.

"It's difficult, but I've also lost races by trying to entertain myself too much," he said in words to Canyon, with whom he renewed a long-term sponsorship contract. "If I stop soon, everyone will look at my record and not at the races in which I rode spectacularly. I made that switch two or three years ago. I didn't want to look back on the missed opportunities anymore."

One can only speculate exactly which races he refers to, but the truth is that over his time as a road racer he's already gathered immense success including four monument wins, a World title, a stage and yellow jersey at the Tour de France and much more. However that does not mean the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider didn't make mistakes in the past and his over-aggressive attitude may have cost him triumphs. However after deciding not to do it anymore, that is now the case once again as he is able to see that long-range attacks arre becoming more and more common in the peloton and he is no longer an outlier.

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"But nowadays everyone participates from ninety kilometers before the finish. I am not alone anymore," he says; with great recent examples being those of Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche, and his own attacks at the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem which saw several riders working together with him. "I know that winning the biggest races is much more important than doing something stupid in a race."