Mathieu van der Poel has found a new rival in Quick-Step: "Sprinting against someone new is quite exciting"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel started off his season at Le Samyn, unexpectedly, and rode to a fabulous win in Dours to kick off his 2025 season. Although he attacked early in the race, he figured a sprint would be his best shot, and there he beat Paul Magnier to take the triumph. However he complements the Frenchman and has heard many good things about him.
"Paul is still very young. The wattages he sent me were scary. Tim Merlier said that he had often lost in the sprint," van der Poel shared with Wielerflits. "Sprinting against someone new is quite exciting. Paul is young and he is just starting out, but everyone already knows him."
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider benefited from a tough race and an uphill sprint to beat the Frenchman, but Magniers' performances over the hilly races over the past weeks have been nothing short of impressive.
The Soudal - Quick-Step rider won a hilltop sprint on the opening stage of the Etoile de Bessèges and alongside Le Samyn, he was second also at the Figueira Champions Classic and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - races that notably do not suit traditional sprinters. Out of five race days, the 20-year old has not once finished outside the podium so far this year.
In Omloop Het Nieuwsblad he didn't have to face an in-form van der Poel, but that could change one day. "I have never ridden that classic, but I think it is a race that must suit me very well," he admits. "I have ridden in Kuurne once before, but that is a different story. The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a difficult race every year. But that is the thing about making choices. Maybe I will participate one day."
The cyclocross World Championships and the need to take some rest and build more of a base ahead of the spring classics is traditionally the reason for his absence from the Opening Weekend, but it is a formula that has worked over the past years as he's net victories at Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix to name a few.
There will be no Strade Bianche in his schedule, but the Dutchman will have new opportunities to test his form at Tirreno-Adriatico. “I have had some good training weeks and felt ready to start. I am very happy with where I am. After all, I have ridden against a number of strong names. It is not a monument, but I am happy with every race I win, and so also with this one. Tirreno-Adriatico is another race that I like to ride and in the past it has proven to be the right approach for me," he concluded.
Read also
🏆 Great race, great team, great winner! 🎉 @mathieuvdpoel kicked off his road season in style, with a victory at @GPSamyn!
— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) March 4, 2025
Big thanks to the entire team for controlling the race. MvdP finished it off perfectly in the streets of Dour!
Second win for Alpecin-Deceuninck in just… pic.twitter.com/mvYffvhGkK
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
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment