"The bodies of Pogacar and Van der Poel suffer a little trauma every time they deliver such a massive solo" - Michael Boogerd
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar are the two riders in the current peloton who have reached the highest historical value, and certainly, they remain the riders with the most dominant wins against their peers. There are questions, though, on how long they can keep it up after such a high amount of devastating long-range attacks and significant efforts.
In an interview with Wielerevue, former pro Michael Boogerd answered the question as to whether he still enjoys seeing the dominant performances of both in their own terrain, respectively. "I'm not fed up with it yet, but I can enjoy it. It's still cycling at the highest level, and as a former rider, I can see the beauty in that. Of course, I also hope for more excitement, like in Milano-Sanremo or Paris-Roubaix, but I can enjoy Tadej Pogacar."
"I haven't run away from the television yet. I was commentating at the World Championships, so that I couldn't leave anyway," he jokes. "But I can also enjoy the battle for second and third place behind Tadej. You see some really great races in the background."
This year, we saw more of what the two can do, with Pogacar taking uncontested and dominant solo wins in races such as Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, World Championships, European Championships, and Il Lombardia. Many argue that the dominance takes away from the tension and excitement that the races could provide, and that there isn't as much entertainment value as with races where they are absent, except when they race against each other in peak form.
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"But if you've cycled yourself, you know what it takes to do what he does. And even if Pogacar solos to the finish in the Tour of Flanders, cycling fans should appreciate that battle with Van der Poel. And sometimes he still gets caught? Look at Amstel Gold Race this spring, for example. Nobody expected that, did they?"
Van der Poel, because of Pogacar, hasn't had such solo wins this year, but in the past has done the same that the Slovenian does. He did, however, win both Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, so there is no basis for any criticism or wondering if his level has descended.
But at some point, that is inevitable. "It's quite possible that things will gradually decline in the coming years for guys like Pogacar and Van der Poel. I know from experience that a classic like this affects certain physical systems in riders. Even with Pogacar, those systems eventually become exhausted. He's gained so much over the past five years with such enormous efforts that he might become a bit jaded. Then he might not reach his peaks anymore."
Will van der Poel and Pogacar be able to keep this up?
So the question for Boogerd remains whether the two riders will want to continue racing with such tactics and if these long-range attacks can ultimately have an effect on them, physically or psychologically, which will take a toll.
"But the bodies of Pogacar and Van der Poel suffer a little trauma every time they deliver such a massive solo. You can't keep that up forever. Your cortisol levels eventually decline." However, he believes Pogacar does a great working at recovering between races, therefore reducing that risk.
"What they do really well is take a break when they're at a very high level. For example, Pogacar wins the UAE Tour and then stops racing for a while. That allows him not to necessarily have to train at high intensity, so he never really gets tired. They never have to start from scratch, because that takes a lot of energy. Just look at riders who have to bounce back after a bad crash."
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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- Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
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