"Mathieu van der Poel is really the best rider for one-day races" despite Tadej Pogacar's brilliance according to Filippo Pozzato

In 2024, Tadej Pogacar has been simply all-conquering. Because of the Slovenian's brilliance however, what would normally be considered an incredible season in its own right by Mathieu van der Poel, winning both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the Rainbow Jersey, has gone somewhat under the radar.

Could Pogacar attempt to match that feat of Van der Poel's in 2024? “Certainly, it is great for cycling if the world champion starts in Flanders and Roubaix. I think Paris-Roubaix will be difficult for him, but if he races like he does now, he will be at the front there too. It is not about experience, but if he has better legs than others, it is simple. Then you are always at the front,” muses Filippo Pozzato in conversation with Wielerflits.  

In a head to head battle between Pogacar and Van der Poel at Flanders and Paris-Roubaix though, Pozzato seems to favour the latter. "Tadej can show himself everywhere. In a time trial, uphill and in classics like the Tour of Flanders he is also very strong. But I think Mathieu van der Poel is really the best rider for one-day races. He was also much stronger than usual at the World Championships. It was a tough race and he was in it. If he had been able to make the jump, he would have won, right?" The Italian explains. "Van der Poel has really had an incredibly unlucky year, in that respect. This really was the perfect season for Pogacar. It is actually unthinkable that you win those races as Van der Poel and not win the Vélo d'Or. But that is just the way it is."

Not that Pozzato agrees with the theory that Pogacar's dominance is boring. “I think it is good for the sport. Tadej is a great champion. I love him very much as a rider. In Lombardy, I would have preferred Remco Evenepoel to win, just for the show and the excitement, because Pogačar won all the last big races. For the fan, it would have been better if Remco could have beaten or challenged him," he assesses. “But other than that I really have nothing against Tadej,” laughs Pozzato. “I’m a big fan of his. His way of racing, his style. He chooses to attack when he feels like it. After his attack at the World Championship I sent a message to my friends saying: This is crazy, right?! It’s not possible to win from this situation.”

"When he thinks about attacking, he does it right away. Whether it's 100 kilometres or 10 kilometres... It's the same for him," he concludes. "But he's also able to do that now, because he's much stronger than everyone. I think it's going to be hard for him to confirm next year, what he's achieved. This was really the perfect season for Pogacar."