"Van der Poel has won a lot that Boonen and Museeuw haven't" - Michel Wuyts weighs in on the debate on who is the classics all-time great

At three Tour of Flanders titles, Mathieu van der Poel stands equal to all-time greats such as Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw. But which of the three can be considered the greatest?

"That's a difficult comparison," Michel Wuyts exhales at the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast. "But the fact remains that Van der Poel, at 30, has already achieved quite a lot that the others haven't. Boonen and Museeuw, for example, have never won Milano-Sanremo. It is also very likely that he will win the Tour of Flanders for the fourth time."

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"In addition, Van der Poel, may I say it again, has become world champion in cyclo-cross 7 times," Wuyts points out Van der Poel's versatility. And if he desires so, he could round up his record at 10 titles in a foreseeable future. And the gravel world champion also aspires for world title in yet another discipline: "He wants to become mountain bike world champion one day. He is certainly more versatile than the other two."

Van der Poel was completely unleashed last spring, winnning both Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders in the absence of Tadej Pogacar and Wout Van Aert and securing a victory at Milano-Sanremo for teammate Jasper Philipsen. But his form noticeably dropped off after the classics campaign and even at the World Championships, where he finished 3th, MVDP was still far from his best self.

Therefore the approach will be different this year and Wuyts believes in Van der Poel's approach and program. "Mathieu will certainly appear at the start in top form. It is not without reason that he has included the Tirreno in his program. Also with the goal of winning Milano-Sanremo again."

Philipsen therefore shouldn't expect any gifts from his Dutch colleague this time around. "It will be difficult for Philipsen to win Sanremo for a second time," Wuyts reckons. "That is certainly not easy. He has not yet convinced at the UAE Tour, although he is the best climber of all the sprinters. Certainly in comparison with Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan."

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