"The more he whines that things are going fast, the faster he rides in the weeks that follow" - Jan Maas reveals secrets of training with Mathieu van der Poel

Although they may be on different teams, the Dutch duo of Jan Maas and Mathieu van der Poel are often training partners with the former revealing what he believes to be the secret to the latter's recent success.

Maas trained with van der Poel recently and revealed his delight to In de Leiderstrui at seeing his good friend and fellow countryman thrive in the spring classics. "That was nice to see. Just before the Tour of Flanders we had trained together in Spain, then he already said: last year I rode very well after that," says Maas. "Then after Paris-Roubaix I immediately sent him that it was another good Jan Maas training. He reacted funny to that, which is nice."

The secret to Jan Maas training? Riding hard and fast. Something van der Poel doesn't always enjoy Maas admits. "He will cry," laughs the Team Jayco AlUla rider. "The more he whines that things are going fast, the faster he drives in the weeks that follow. So I knew he was in good shape for Flanders and Roubaix."

Maas's teammate Michael Matthews may need some similar training prior to the Giro d'Italia if he wants to improve upon recent disappointments and achieve success in Italy. "He fell hard in the Tour of Flanders, in the descent of the Koppenberg. Michael had not yet recovered from his injuries in time for the Ardennes races," Maas says. "It is a great pity for us."