“Tadej Pogacar is a little bit better on the Kwaremont” - Mathieu van der Poel's father highlights key disadvantage in son’s Tour of Flanders history bid
Cycling
The margins at the very top of the Tour of Flanders are often defined by a single climb, and according to Adrie van der Poel, that is exactly where the balance may tilt again in 2026.
Speaking to Road.cc ahead of this year’s edition, the 1986 winner pointed directly to the Oude Kwaremont as the terrain where Tadej Pogacar holds a subtle but decisive edge over his son Mathieu, who is chasing a record-breaking fourth victory.
“The last few years, Tadej has shown he’s a little bit better on the Kwaremont,” he said, offering a measured but telling assessment of the dynamic that has shaped recent editions of the race.
That observation cuts to the core of the current rivalry. While Van der Poel has repeatedly proven himself across the cobbled Monuments, the longer, more sustained effort of the Kwaremont has increasingly become the launchpad for Pogacar’s most damaging moves.
A familiar battleground, a different balance
The Kwaremont will again feature twice in the decisive phase, with the second ascent, coming inside the final 55 kilometres, traditionally acting as the first true moment of separation among the favourites.
It is also the point where the race shifts from positioning to pure strength, and where Pogacar’s ability to sustain a long, high-intensity effort has previously forced others onto the defensive.
For Van der Poel, whose strengths often lie in repeated accelerations and race instinct, that presents a different kind of challenge. Not one that removes him from contention, but one that forces a response rather than allowing him to dictate.
Records secondary to victory
Despite the focus on what would be a historic fourth Tour of Flanders title, Adrie van der Poel made clear that such milestones are not shaping his son’s approach.
“Mathieu is going for the victory, but he’s never thinking about the record,” he explained. “If and when he wins, then you have the record. But it’s not a healthy way to race, to race for a record. You race to win. And if you win enough, then the records follow.”
That mindset aligns with the way the race itself is expected to unfold. While the narrative has often centred on the battle between Pogacar and Van der Poel, the presence of Wout van Aert and debutant Remco Evenepoel adds further complexity to an already tight equation.
“I think it’s wrong if you change tactics just because a certain rider is there,” Adrie van der Poel said, reinforcing the idea that the race will not be dictated by one rival alone. “It’s good he’s there… but it’s much better when you have ten riders who can win the race.”
Pogacar the reference point
Adrie van der Poel’s comments also reflect a broader acceptance within the peloton of Pogacar’s current status. “You have to accept that in each generation there’s a rider who’s a little bit above the others. Now it’s Tadej,” he said.
That does not make the outcome inevitable, but it does shape how the race is approached. As seen in recent races, Pogacar’s combination of individual strength and the backing of UAE Team Emirates has allowed him to dictate from distance, forcing rivals to make decisions earlier than they might prefer.
A race unlikely to follow a script
Even with that hierarchy, the expectation is not for a straightforward duel. “Sunday could be a race of surprises,” Adrie van der Poel added, before tempering that thought. “But I think in the end we’re going to see the same riders.”
That balance between unpredictability and inevitability has been a recurring theme in the build-up to this year’s Tour of Flanders. The strongest riders tend to emerge, but rarely without the race first being stretched and reshaped by conditions, positioning and tactical choices.
On a course that repeatedly funnels everything through the Kwaremont and Paterberg, those differences are often exposed quickly and decisively. If Pogacar once again proves strongest on that key climb, it could force Van der Poel into chasing rather than attacking. If not, the race opens up into a far less controlled contest.
Either way, as Adrie van der Poel’s assessment suggests, the decisive moment may not come from a surprise move, but from a familiar place where the smallest difference becomes the biggest one.
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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- Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
- Ok, Walt 🤣... Vingegaard would be lucky to get on the poduim. He would not beat Seixas or Del Toro, let alone TP. Then there are the Americans...BD06-11-2026
- So, for starters. Cycling is a saturated, static/dying sport in traditional lands, it will not have resurgences like eg running occasionally does because of several obstacular (yes, I know that’s not a word but don’t make me point out the obvious at your expense) factors. Obviously, like almost everything involving money, there is a desire/need/advantage to growth and that can only come from (developing or just testing) new markets. For me, the WC is the obvious and best choice for several reasons, it comes at the end of the season so is less critical season risk wise, it is not a “pro” team race but nation based which makes integration of uncommon participation more natural. It is a vehicle for redistribution (one of a very limited number of available mechanisms to develop new markers fairly) that the fixed calendar doesn’t allow and it helps make budgets fairer over the long run (moving the whole circus to everywhere evens out everyone’s budget as opposed to having everyone always come to the same location.Jumpyjohn06-11-2026
- Sad that a more refreshing article like this, which could generate discussion in a number of directions, gets completely ignored for the importance of debating the level of superiority of one rider into every single last detail, including a majority of totally hypothetical ones. People complain there is no news in the off season and it’s boring but don’t realise how boring it is to review the same old discussion over and over again, several times a day. In fact, you’d almost think this was a rider fan website. Instead of complaining about the FREE (as long as you pay attention to data use if not unlimited coz this site consumes almost as much for loading Youtube) content, the presence of cv of authors (for the missed obvious reason that it makes it easier to insert extra advertising without changing formats), the lack of quality/checking and depth of articles, why not also think about the content, quality and variety of posts that everyone can contribute to? The platform becomes irrelevant when discussion is interesting.Jumpyjohn06-11-2026
- UAE Team Emirates and Pogačar will officially unveil their objectives at the team’s media day, which will take place on December 18 in Benidorm, Spain. New information from the UAE Team: Exceptional recovery remains the cornerstone of success for the Slovenian cannibal-Pogi, whose sporting manager, Matxin, believes he will be even better in 2027 than he has been over the past three seasons.PogiSloFans06-11-2026
- Yeh, but he didn't and RE beat Pog & Del T 👍
leedorney06-11-2026 - Just my opinionleedorney06-11-2026
- Great win.However will the world champions jersey be simply a domestic for the season which will some what tarnish the jersey. I hope he is given free rein to try and win some races.paultryan200206-11-2026
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