"We are starting to become more of a fixed event on the Tuesday after the Opening Weekend" - The Mathieu van der Poel effect: Dutchman transforms Le Samyn according to organisers

Mathieu van der Poel made his 2025 road debut in emphatic fashion yesterday, winning Le Samyn in what was a highly anticipated appearance. His presence at the race not only influenced the competition itself but also had a wider impact on the event, from spectator turnout to media attention.

For the race organisers, Van der Poel’s participation was both exciting and nerve wracking. Manuele Pirrello, speaking to Wielerflits, explained how the anticipation built up in the days leading to the event.

“The news had been going around for a few days, but we had no real certainty for a long time. Alpecin-Deceuninck had let us know that there was a good chance that Mathieu would participate, but we still had to wait a long time for the final selection. Of course we were very satisfied, but on the other hand we were also very nervous,” laughs Pirrello.

His concerns weren’t just about the star power Van der Poel would bring to the race, there was also the memory of his previous experience at Le Samyn in 2021.

“Especially because his first participation with us in 2021 did not go so well. Then he broke his handlebars at the end of our last cobblestone section, and we thought we would never see him again. That was an unfortunate moment for his first experience with our race.”

This time, however, things went differently, with the Dutchman claiming victory in dominant fashion.

Van der Poel’s return marked an important step for Le Samyn, reinforcing its position in the early season calendar.

“That’s why it was a great opportunity for us to get back on the same page and correct the skewed situation at the time,” said Pirrello.

“You can see that our race is starting to become part of the regular program of a number of riders, we are starting to become more of a fixed event on the Tuesday after the Opening Weekend. Riders like Arnaud De Lie and Paul Magnier consciously choose not to participate in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne to score here.

“For our race, it is a very big step that Mathieu came to participate, but also that he won.”

Van der Poel’s participation didn’t just elevate the competition, it significantly increased the attention around the event, such is the Dutchman’s star power.

“Mathieu’s arrival had a significant effect on the turnout of people at the start, finish, and on the course. These people arrived quite early and were able to see Le Samyn des Dames finish, where in previous years there may have been fewer people. The good weather probably helped, but the attention was greater than we are used to.

“Also in terms of press people: accreditation requests flowed in after the news was announced.”

Despite Van der Poel’s presence adding significant commercial value to the race, Pirrello was keen to emphasise that this was purely a sporting decision not a financial one.

“It is an interesting case. We certainly did not give Alpecin-Deceuninck a bag of money. That means that Mathieu is not here to rake in money, but because this race represents an interest for him in his preparation. Isn’t that nice to see?”

With cobbled classics coming up in the next few weeks, Le Samyn provided an ideal test for Van der Poel’s form ahead of his defence of his Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix titles.

“I can imagine that this will be increasingly the case with fans of cobblestone races. We have enough cobblestones in the final of the race, so it is not a crazy idea that the big names come to prepare for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in our race.

“We know that some cobblestone sections are a bit like Paris-Roubaix. Our ambition is therefore to keep making progress.”

Beyond the men’s event, Le Samyn des Dames also stands to benefit from this growth, with organisers planning to increase its UCI status.

“In 2025, the UCI status of our women’s race will have to be raised by one or two categories,” says Pirrello.

“That’s why we’ve already hired Audrey Cordon-Ragot as a ‘godmother’ of our race. We realise that the level of women’s cycling is getting higher and that there is sometimes a big difference between the different riders.

“That’s why we also want to raise the ambitions of the race, so that we don’t have to turn down any more WorldTeams. That was the case now.”