After sudden appearance at Samyn: how does Mathieu van der Poel actually fill his schedule?

While Dutch football club PSV fell short in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Mathieu van der Poel seized his opportunity at Europa League-level in cycling. Making his road racing comeback at Le Samyn—roughly six months after the World Championships in Zürich—the Dutchman immediately proved that he hadn’t been idle following his cyclo-cross world title. After his victory, he spent ten minutes speaking with the press in Dour.

Van der Poel’s team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, announced on Monday that the Dutchman would start his 2025 road season six days earlier than planned. With Lars Boven dropping out, the team needed a replacement. When they asked for volunteers, none other than the team leader himself raised his hand—and just like that, Van der Poel lined up at the Ename Samyn Classic in Quaregnon. Sometimes, things don’t need to be complicated.

At the start, the former world champion already hinted that he was feeling good, the signals were all green, and it was time to show it in a race. And so he did. After two attacks—at 65 km and 51 km from the finish—his race instincts told him that Le Samyn wasn’t hard enough in these conditions, and that betting on his sprint was the better option. In Dour, he won with ease, and after the finish, there was little sign of fatigue on his face.

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Van der Poel can head to upcoming goals with confidence

Starting the season with such an impressive sprint must feel good?

"Yes, I’m obviously very happy with that. Early in the race, I quickly realized that forcing an attack wouldn’t make much sense, so I decided pretty early on that I’d go for the sprint. There was a lot of hesitation in the group, so I made the switch—and in the end, that turned out to be the right choice."

Better than training in the rain in Spain?

(Laughs) "100 percent. There was a reason I wanted to race here—during training, I already felt that things were going well, and I was getting a bit impatient. So, I’m really glad they let me come here."

So, you were eager to race. Did you actually enjoy the day?

"Definitely. I had to stay alert for crashes, but I felt like I still had something left in the legs. Over the past few weeks, I already had the feeling that my sprint was in good shape."

You accelerated multiple times within the sprint itself.

"I thought I went a bit too early, but in hindsight, I judged it well—I could have gone from that distance anyway. At first, I didn’t see the finishing arch, so I launched my sprint again. That shows there was still something left in the legs."

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It’s the first time since 2021 that you’ve won your first race of the season.

"I mentioned it before the start: it’s not a given to pull that off. Though, to be fair, I’ve also started my season with Milan-Sanremo a few times, which is a whole different challenge compared to this. This isn’t a monument, of course, but there were still some strong riders in the race."

Did you secretly expect this result?

"I knew I was in good shape—otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here. But a race is always different from training. I need races like this to take that final step, so this one certainly didn’t hurt."

You already seemed quite confident at the start.

"I won’t beat around the bush: if I feel good, I’ll say it. I had enough indicators in training, but racing is still something else."

A warning shot for your rivals?

"Well, the main frustration is that I missed the opening weekend with these legs. But we’re focusing on what’s ahead. It's nice that my feeling from the training sessions has been confirmed and every victory feels good."

Are you still resent missing the Opening Weekend?

"While watching it, I did think it was a shame. But I can’t change it now. We discussed it, but in the end, it was kind of my own choice. The team originally planned for me to go to altitude right after the Cyclo-cross World Championships and then race the opening weekend, but I wasn’t convinced."

"If everything goes well, it can work. But if the World Championships don’t go as planned and you immediately head to altitude, it can be mentally tough. People underestimate that—it’s a big build-up to that race, and I always treat it as an early season peak because I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I’ve always needed a few days of decompression afterward, and I noticed that after my week of skiing in Livigno, I was fully recharged."

"I’ve never raced Omloop, which is a shame, but maybe one day I will. The same goes for Strade Bianche, which I would have loved to ride on Saturday. But I have to make choices, and altitude training is part of that."

Now back to Spain, then Tirreno-Adriatico. What’s the goal there?

"Above all, to stay healthy—like always. For me, it works well. I’ve already proven that preparing for the classics via Tirreno-Adriatico is a solid approach, so I’m happy to race there. It’s a race I enjoy. Milan-Sanremo is getting closer, but it’s still a long way off."

Read also

Mathieu van der Poel opens 2025 with a victory in Le Samyn, but why did he use such a crazy - yet effective - sprint tactic?

Pidcock noticed Van der Poel thinking during the Tour de France: "I could just see from his body language that he felt the same as I did"

The cycling spring will be a Pogacar vs. Van der Poel showdown: "I think we’ll see an even stronger Pogacar"

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