Mathieu van der Poel undermines winning chances at Tirreno-Adriatico: "It will have to be done from the early breakaway"

Mathieu van der Poel hasn't shown his best form during Tirreno-Adriatico, and as the peloton turns up to it's toughest stage with very hard ascents he doesn't have much confidence that he can play a role in the fight for the stage win.

“I have to be honest that the legs have been a bit disappointing so far,” Van der Poel told Het Laatste Nieuws this morning “I might have expected to be a little better. I do think this week will make me better for the goals to come. I was able to help Jasper (Philipsen, ed.) a few times, but I had hoped to be a little better for myself.”

It doesn't come as a big surprise to him after the break he took following the cyclocross season there. He's achieved his goal of taking the world title, making for a successful winter and less pressure on the road. The focus though undermines the preparation for the spring classics, as the Dutchman has not yet managed to build back his form after the rest he took.

“No, not that. In the end, I only trained for two weeks after the cyclocross World championships. I knew that would be short and that I would need these races to be at the top of my abilities," he continues. The 15th place at Strade Bianche revealed decent form, but throughout Tirreno-Adriatico he's not shown signs of improvement yet. They will need to come soon if he is to contest for the big wins in April.

At the very least, his possible ambitions for Milano-Sanremo are most likely going to take a hit, as it seems unlikely that in the space of a week he'll be able to reach a level close to his peak - and the competition at the monument is every year very high.

"I don't think I'll play a role. That will certainly not work with the legs of the past few days. From the peloton it will be very difficult, so it will have to be done from the early breakaway. Several riders will think that way, which will make it difficult to get into the breakaway," he concluded.