“When I was racing I couldn’t figure out how you stop Van der Poel. That’s almost impossible” - Tom Dumoulin fears uphill task for rivals against Alpecin leader this Spring
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel’s commanding victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has already sent a clear message to the peloton ahead of the Spring Classics. For former Tour de France winner Tom Dumoulin, the Dutch superstar’s latest display only reinforced a belief many riders already share: stopping Van der Poel when he decides to take control of a race is extraordinarily difficult.
Speaking on the NOS Wielerpodcast, Dumoulin revealed that Van der Poel’s late decision to start Omloop Het Nieuwsblad had already unsettled rivals before the race had even begun.
“I was there on Friday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and they were really disappointed that Van der Poel had decided at the last moment to come,” Dumoulin explained. “At first, he wasn’t supposed to ride, but the other teams were not happy about it.”
The reason for that reaction was simple. Even riders who spent years racing against the Alpecin leader admit they struggled to find a way to neutralise him once the race exploded. “When I was racing myself, I also couldn’t figure out how you stop Van der Poel. That’s almost impossible.”
That sentiment became reality once again during Opening Weekend. Despite admitting beforehand that he was not yet at full strength, Van der Poel produced a dominant performance on the Molenberg to ride clear and take the first road victory of his 2026 campaign.
A dominance built on an exceptional base level
For sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, the most impressive aspect of Van der Poel’s win was that it came before the classics specialist had even reached his peak condition.
“I think a lot of riders were already at one hundred percent,” Groenewegen explained on the NOS Wielerpodcast. “With Mathieu, the base level is just so high. Even at ninety-five per cent, he’s still at top level, and heading towards the Tour of Flanders, there will probably still be another step.”
That observation will not be encouraging for the riders hoping to challenge Van der Poel in the monuments ahead. If Omloop Het Nieuwsblad already represented a dominant performance, Groenewegen’s suggestion that another step is still to come points to an even more formidable rival in the weeks leading towards the biggest races of the spring.
Changing how the classics are raced
Van der Poel’s influence on the modern classics extends beyond his results alone. According to Groenewegen, the Alpecin leader has also changed how teams approach these races tactically.
“Mathieu is one of the first riders who thought: ‘I’ll open the race myself, then I control it,’” Groenewegen said. “That has also changed the tactics of Visma | Lease a Bike a little bit. They often used to create situations where they had numbers, but he has made it more of a one-on-one battle. And in those situations, he is often the strongest.”
That approach was visible again in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Rather than waiting for rivals to attack, Van der Poel seized the initiative himself at the decisive moment and quickly turned the race into a test of pure strength.
A daunting prospect for the peloton
With the classics season now moving rapidly towards races such as Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, Dumoulin believes Van der Poel’s rivals may already face a daunting challenge.
The Dutchman’s combination of explosive power, tactical instinct and the ability to control a race from the front has repeatedly left opponents searching for answers. Even riders who spent years racing against him admit they never truly discovered a reliable way to stop him.
After Opening Weekend, that dilemma appears as pressing as ever. Van der Poel may have claimed he was not yet at full strength, but the manner of his victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad suggests that even slightly below his peak, he remains the benchmark everyone else must find a way to beat this spring.
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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