Mathieu van der Poel prepared for Tadej Pogacar to attack Flanders early: "He did that two years ago"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel is a three-time winner of the Tour of Flanders and this afternoon in Oudenaarde he has the chance to make history and become the first rider to ever have four in his palmarès. But in order to do that, he will need to go through a luxurious startlist and a World Champion who is just as eager to take the win.
“Two years ago, I also won a prize with the team at the start here in Bruges. You know the saying about the donkey that doesn’t stumble over the same stone twice. I hope that doesn’t happen to me today,” he joked to Sporza at the start, in reference to then having lost the race to Pogacar that year.
The two are the biggest favourites for today's race and that doesn't come as much of a surprise. At Milano-Sanremo they were the strongest on the climbs, and since there has been no injury or illness to prevent them from having their best legs for the second monument of the season. They have won every edition of Flanders since 2020 (with the exception of 2021 where van der Poel was second to Kasper Asgreen) and it's expected that the title remains in the hands of one of them.
“I think everyone makes mistakes along the way. Small mistakes, positioning. You can’t always control that yourself. I think the main thing is to stay as calm as possible and control the situation. Especially with the team," van der Poel reassured before a race where Alpecin may be outnumbered by teams such as UAE and VIsma.
As for Pogacar himself, the Dutchman knows he can't be surprised for Pogacar's eventual attacks, and that they can come very early on in the race. “He is going to make that race as difficult as possible. He did that two years ago and I expect a similar scenario.”
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.
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- 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
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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