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"

Cycling
Wednesday, 27 March 2024 at 11:15
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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."

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