"Without that crash, he would have stayed in the race" - Adrie van der Poel sees clear reason for Tadej Pogacar beating his son at Tour of Flanders 2025

Once again, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar gave an incredibly exciting spectacle for the fans as they went head to head at the 2025 Tour of Flanders on Sunday afternoon. This time, it was the Slovenian world champion who emerged victorious, although according to Adrie van der Poel, father of the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader, there may be a slight taint to that win.

The reason for this belief? The fact that Van der Poel was caught up in a crash at around 126km to go. Although the Dutchman was ultimately able to get back on bike and get back into the mix, following almost all of Pogacar's attacks for the remainder of the race, Adrie believes that one last kick his son needed on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont might have been taken in his chase back on.

"Crashes are often underestimated," Van der Poel senior explains in a post-race interview with VTM Nieuws. "You're still hitting the ground at sixty kilometres per hour. I'm convinced that without that crash, he would have stayed in the race. That fall had a big effect."

In the end, Van der Poel had to settle for 3rd place at the line, losing out in the sprint for 2nd behind the runaway Pogacar to Mads Pedersen. "The best riders in the race finish first and third," Adrie van der Poel assesses. "Mads Pedersen, who came second, played it smart, and he’s also definitely faster. The wind also played a major role in how the race unfolded."

Ultimately though, given they can look to the crash as a potential reason for the defeat, camp Van der Poel aren't too dissuaded in their quest for Paris-Roubaix glory next weekend. "It doesn’t really say much about Paris-Roubaix next week, because everyone essentially starts from scratch. But it’s clear that Pogacar is the top favourite. The weather will be good, it will be dry, and he can handle the corners well. Plus, he has a solid team behind him," he concludes. "Riding on cobblestones is just like climbing a mountain to me. When there's nothing left in your legs, you’re not going anywhere."