"A real disappointment": Mathieu van der Poel reflects on the European Cycling Championship in Belgium

On the so-called Limburg loop, which he had highlighted beforehand, Van der Poel made his first move more than a hundred kilometers from the finish. Throughout the race, there were repeated attacks and accelerations, but truly breaking away proved to be a pipe dream, despite the support from strong riders like Pedersen and Laporte.

"I made it a tough race, but Italy eventually caught up," Van der Poel noted after the finish. "That was to be expected with such a strong team. There was a chance, but I have to say I didn't have my best legs today. The gap should have been bigger."

Despite this, the Dutchman was satisfied with how the race tactics were executed. "The strategy was to always have someone in the front, so we wouldn't have to chase from behind. I think we executed that well."

In an attempt to help lead-out man Olav Kooij, Van der Poel tried to pilot him, but ultimately his efforts in service of the sprinter did not succeed. "It was quite hectic, as expected. Long straight sections and then headwind. I was initially behind Olav. We wanted to get past, but it didn’t really work out. He was in a good position. I was with Mike, but we couldn’t get past."

"I did what I could," said the world champion. "I think this was the plan, and then in the end with the whole team for Olav. We knew it was going to be difficult. I had already done my part during the race, and I think he had a good sprint," he said about the eventual second-place finisher of the day.

Conclusion in Hasselt? "This is quite a disappointment, I think. We should have brought Olav better, but it was quite hectic," Van der Poel said before moving on. Next up is the World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland in two weeks.