"Those two are really not normal. They are so much better than the rest" - Oliver Naesen on riding against Tadej Pogacar & Mathieu van der Poel
Cycling
Although both competing with different objectives, two of the stars of the quickly approaching 2024 Tour de France are sure to be the recently crowned Giro d'Italia winner Tadej Pogacar and the current Rainbow Jersey, Mathieu van der Poel.
One of those with the somewhat unenviable task of competing against the superstar duo, will be Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team's Oliver Naesen. "Those two are really not normal. They are just so much better than the rest," the 33-year-old Belgian says in conversation with In de Leiderstrui. "Then we no longer talk about better bicycles or whatever. There's nothing bad about that. I think those guys were just born as some kind of mutation, it can hardly be otherwise."
A fan of horse racing, Naesen has come up with a neat anecdote in order to compare the qualities of Pogacar and van der Poel. "In the horse world people always talk about ''the father of'' on dad's side and 'the grandfather of' on the mother's side. In Mathieu's case that is exactly right, isn't it," Naesen notes, referring to the world champion's father, Adrie van der Poel and grandfather, the legendary Raymond Poulidor. "Mathieu would be a powerful horse! If you take a skin cell from him and put it under the microscope, you will simply see that it is better than the rest."
On whether or not Naesen will be able to get his own chances to shine at the upcoming Grand Tour, the Belgian isn't totally convinced. "In recent years I have often been asked: Ollie, if the opportunity arises in a transition stage, can we expect you? Usually a rider like me gets his chances in the stages when you are already a bit tired, after you have fulfilled your helping role for days or weeks," he explains. "Then it is not always possible anymore, I must admit. But take last year. There were three transition stages and I was there three times. One time Matej Mohoric won, the other two times we were away with fifty, including Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar... That doesn't make you happy, I can tell you!"
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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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- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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