Mathieu van der Poel has to settle for 13th place with ill-timed flat tyre: "Such things happen, but it's a pity, because this is a fun race"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel was one of the main attention-drawers of Saturday's Dwars door het Hageland. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider made his come back to racing after two months break and certainly didn't disappoint. The Paris-Roubaix champion was up there in the winning move, but was struck by bad luck, when he got a flat tire in worst moment possible.
"I got a rear wheel from the neutral motorbike, but it didn't roll well and the tire was too hard for gravel segments," Van der Poel explains to Het Laatste Nieuws. Van der Poel then changed bikes, but it didn't stop there. The Dutchman changed almost immediately again. "I put my bike computer on it, but it fell off again. Then I changed bikes again."
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"What's coming is the most important thing. I felt pretty good despite the heat and the fact that it was my first race in a while," van der Poel shifts attention to his goals for summer. "I had good legs, but run into some bad luck. Such things happen, but it's a pity, because this is a fun race."
The Dutch rider will line up to Baloise Belgium Tour on Wednesday. “If I'm feeling good, I should be able to compete there for the general classification. A win would be nice, but not necessary," Van der Poel emphasizes that the big goal is in July. "Last year I wasn't me at Tour, everyone saw that. Now I feel very good and I've had a good preparation. I'm really looking forward to it."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026
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Mathieu van der Poel after #dwarsdoorhethageland: "A flat tyre, but on top of that two bike changes. That was too much. The gap I had to close was huge. It was over and out" Next: @belgium_tour. #alpecindeceuninck
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