Meet the man behind Mathieu van der Poel’s viral training videos: "He's a very likeable guy and his endurance is very strong"

The name of Freddy Ovett might not sound familiar to most cycling fans, but this former pro is actually Mathieu van der Poel's current social media cameraman, having accompanied him over the past years.

The Australian rider, son of former Olympic 800-meter champion Steve Ovett, began his sporting life as a promising junior middle-distance runner before switching to cycling. He joined continental team SEG Racing Academy in 2016, being the teammate of Fabio Jakobsen and Jenthe Biermans amongst others.

Ovett was not able to replicate the success of some of his teammates, as he was jumping from one continental team to another. After a brief World Tour experience as a trainee with the extinct BMC Racing Team in 2018, he moved to the development team of Israel Premier Tech in 2019, with whom he spent two years.

The American L39ION of Los Angeles was his last team (so far), and he has recently switched his focus to gravel, where he competes without representing a squad. His biggest professional achievement was a podium finish at the 2022 UCI Esports World Championships.

Ovett has become a fixture in van der Poel’s off-season content thanks to their frequent joint training sessions in Spain. Their bond is well known within the peloton, and according to Greg Van Avermaet, the relationship is rooted in mutual respect. "Don't underestimate him, you must be incredibly strong yourself to train with guys like Mathieu" Van Avermaet said in comments gathered by Domestique, noting that he was the one who first introduced the two.

Ovett’s videos of van der Poel regularly make their way into cycling media during the off-season. One of Ovett’s more recent social media challenges involved teasing that van der Poel would complete a full triathlon if an Instagram post gathered 100,000 likes. With van der Poel set to return to cyclocross before turning his attention to the spring classics, Ovett’s presence has helped fill the gap left since the Dutchman stopped posting on Strava in 2023.

Van Avermaet, who recently joined the pair for training, says their connection is genuine. "Those two get along really well now," he explained. "It's always really fun to train with Mathieu and Freddy. There's a lot of laughter and the occasional good-natured jibe." At one point, van der Poel jokingly referred to Ovett as "My Costa Blanca B*tch."

The friendship developed naturally, according to Van Avermaet. "Freddy was already living in Costa Blanca in 2022. He messaged me when I was preparing for the autumn season there. We ended up training together every day, and he adapted to my schedule. When Mathieu moved there, I introduced him to Freddy. That's how it all started."

Ovett’s easygoing nature has also led him to train with other high-profile riders, including Remco Evenepoel. "He's a very likeable guy who enjoys riding and is good at it. His endurance is extremely strong, otherwise you don't train with guys like Mathieu or Remco," Van Avermaet said. "He provides Van der Poel with company during training while benefiting from the sporting challenges for his own gravel races."