Tom Boonen has a clear favourite for Flanders: "If we purely go by what we've seen and Mathieu's talent, then it would be very strange if he didn't win"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has won the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche and almost defeated Mathieu van der Poel at Milano-Sanremo, but despite this there are notable voices who believes he comes in second in the list of favourites for the Tour of Flanders. One of the current record holders, Tom Boonen, believes Mathieu van der Poel has a very high chance of winning today's race.
"I think the record will be taken away around five o'clock. It's still the Tour of Flanders, it's still a very unpredictable race. But if we purely go by what we've seen and Mathieu's talent, then it would be very strange if he didn't win," Boonen argued in an interview with NOS.
After two years where he hasn't been stopped by illnesses or injuries, the 30-year old's level keeps increasing and he already has seven monuments in his palmarès now. After a spectacular triumph in Sanremo and a dominant solo win at the E3 Saxo Classic, Boonen believes that "he's never ridden better than he does now."
Even in such a scenario, it will be a tremendously difficult battle today at De Ronde as he faces off with Mathieu van der Poel, whom he lost against in 2023 with an attack on the Oude Kwaremont. Flanders itself is the toughest of the Flandrien classics and the one that favours the climbers the most, which the World Champion may be able to take advantage of.
However for Boonen, the man to beat is clear: “Records are there to be broken. If anyone can and may do it, it's Mathieu. I have a lot of admiration for him. I think he's a super handsome athlete. There's a head on his shoulders, as we say in Flanders. He's good at the sport, he doesn't let himself get carried away. You can't be angry with him. He always races and is always a trendsetter."
Read also
The #RVV25 arena! Are you ready? ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lX5my0dAQv
— Ronde van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) April 6, 2025
Just in
Play for FREE! Fantasy Paris-Roubaix
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Popular news
Latest comments
- You have a very limited understanding of physiology if you think PEDs don't work. Some absolutely work better than others but not many will benefit you the moment you take it...methamphetamines being one of the PEDs the can help you right when you take them.Veganpotter12-04-2025
- Them not winning definitely doesn't mean they're not on the sauce too. They certainly are.Veganpotter12-04-2025
- Being a heavier rider means you have more momentum entering a cobble sector, as your wheel hits every cobble you are going through them at a higher momentum than a heavier rider, so the lighter rider needs to pedal faster to overcome the cobble, furthermore as specified above you have to also consider the fact that the rolling resistance will affect riders of different weights, tire pressure, techniques.. There is also the fact that a heavier rider has more absolute power. TT riders tend to be good when they are of a higher weight. Explain then why are Ganna, Van aert, Kung, Tarling, etc, favorites on flat ITT? Pogacar has lost several flat TTs to heavier riders..alsene12-04-2025
- I think they mistimed their ride by a day and it was intended to be an April Fools thing, coz there’s a video floating around of him training the cobbles behind a motorbike.Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- I like how there are no comments but couldn’t resist when I saw Gilbert’s video post of Pog following the motorbike. Was it April 1st by any chance?Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- What ruling? You aren’t referring to the recent April Fool’s gag?mobk11-04-2025
- Shoulda , woulda, coulda.... pundits can say what they like cycling isn't quite like that and that's what keeps us watching, what keeps sponsors interested etc etcslappers6611-04-2025
- One bike throw at Flanders and a series of mechanicals at Roubaix, and yes, he could have won both, and Van der Poel would have two less on his list. Wout van Aert will likely never reach the magical space of the year he won on Ventoux, the TT, and the Champs Elysées during the Tour, and he's just that tiny notch below the best right now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a chance. It's Paris-Roubaix, you never know who is going to really make the difference.RidesHills11-04-2025
- The race is NOT on MAX. It's on NBC Sports (Peacock).Ben11-04-2025
- Hard men heal quickly.bobo11-04-2025