13/04/2023

Tom Dumoulin on Mathieu van der Poel: "He has something that just makes him much better than other cyclists"

Mathieu van der Poel's compatriot Tom Dumoulin had nothing but good words after the performance at Paris-Roubaix, where he specially acknowledges and compliments the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider's ability to ride different disciplines and being so versatile and popular.

“I'm really looking at an artist. Put him on a bike, it doesn't matter if it's a city bike or a BMX. He rides it three times and the fourth time he wins and beats everyone," Dumoulin told NOS. "I'm really enjoying it with him. I was here cheering like a little kid, I think it's fantastic."

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Now retired, Dumoulin found his new place in the sport analyzing the peloton. In van der Poel he finds a very different rider that what the former Giro d'Italia champion used to be, but a very exciting one at that. A multiple-time World Champion in cyclocross, big hitter in the MTB scene and world-class star on the road, van der Poel thrives all year long and is a constant engagement magnet.

“He has a huge engine anyway, of course, but he has something that just makes him much better than other cyclists. That is difficult to explain in words," he added, before commenting on his final kilometers of Roubaix: "He does take some risks. There are some corners that he enters a little too hard and that he then finds out when exiting the corner: oops, that just went well. But he knows how to fix it. And that is also art.”

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Not only is his quality on the bike undeniable but Dumoulin argues that part of van der Poel's qualities are down to a psychological level, being a likeable character but also a relaxed rider, which allows him to perform on even the biggest of races without suffering from the pressure that many others do.

“He's a golden guy. With Mathieu you can always laugh in the peloton. He is always relaxed. Occasionally Mathieu can be too relaxed, that must also be said. In the Tour of Flanders he suddenly lost the connection with the peloton. His teammates had to solve that for him. At least I enjoyed him again in Paris-Roubaix, we have a great winner," Dumoulin concluded.