Mathieu van der Poel: "I don't see this as the opportunity of a lifetime to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege”
Cycling
With a mouthwatering battle set for Sunday afternoon as Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and more battle it out for the win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, a big question is, can the world champion make it a monumental hat-trick this Spring?
Playing down his chances in the team presentation, van der Poel was coy. “The chance is rather small that we will win the fourth monument of the season (Jasper Philipsen also won Milano-Sanremo ed.) with the team on Sunday,” the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader told Sporza. “We have a strong team, but also strong opponents. Everyone is focused on Tadej Pogacar and that makes sense. He is the strongest rider. So it will be important to try to follow him."
Many have touted this as the best opportunity van der Poel will ever get to win in Liege, thanks in part to the absence of the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Primoz Roglic. The Dutchman himself however, doesn't see things that way. "I don't see this as the opportunity of a lifetime to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege,” he insists.
“There are many more riders in the peloton who can do this better than me,” the world champion continued. “Of course the race still has to be ridden tomorrow. But for the first time I will not be the outspoken leader of the team. Quinten Hermans and Axel Laurance, for example, will have a freer role.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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