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

And there he was, out of the blue, in the not-so-picturesque town of Quaregnon. Deep in the Walloon countryside, Mathieu van der Poel kicked off his road season on Tuesday in Le Samyn, ending up victorious two hundred kilometers later in Dour. Let's take a look at the race tactics of the former world champion's first road race, who will now head to Italy to prepare for the classics, which are so important to him.

Of all the places in the world that Van der Poel has visited, Quaregnon will not rank high on his list. But he was there, and we applaud him for that on this beautiful Tuesday. The village in the heart of the Borinage has been the starting point of Le Samyn for several years now, but it has not been as busy as on March 4, 2025. "The decisive section is packed with campers from Belgium and the Netherlands. It will be a great day," organizer Philippe Liénart said after Van der Poel's announcement.

In addition to Van der Poel, the semi-classic could also count on the French hope Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny), the latter of whom said that he already knew about Van der Poel's arrival on Saturday. The fact that the Dutch rider, in a sport in which everything is analyzed, did indeed show up in the end was not so difficult. "Someone dropped out of the team, and they asked who was available for Samyn," Van der Poel explained.

His compatriot, Lars Boven, was not fit enough to start, so the leader put himself forward as a candidate. "We were asked the question in Spain, and I raised my hand. They thought I was joking, but I was serious," Van der Poel said in Quaregnon with a big smile. But why? "I'm looking forward to racing. I think that's the most important thing. I've had good weeks of training, and I felt ready."

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Van der Poel: "If I thought I still had work to do, I wouldn't be here"

Last weekend, Van der Poel was once again sitting in front of the TV watching Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne with a heavy heart. He has never fully experienced the Opening Weekend - except for two times. "I have been watching the Omloop and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on TV for a few years now, and I still find it disappointing that I am not there. You make these choices in advance, but it is still a bummer," the cycling enthusiast in Van der Poel said with a trace of disappointment.

Van der Poel appeared at the Alpecin-Deceuninck media day in mid-February, still feeling under the weather. "I was ill for a week, but after that, everything went well," Van der Poel revealed. "I feel good. I wouldn't be here if I thought I still had work to do. I thought it would be more useful to start racing from now on because I feel good and I want to be in top shape, so competing in races helps me with that. I was ill for a week, but after that, everything went well."

"The feedback I received was excellent," Van der Poel said, referring to his training results. "In the past, my first races have often not been my best, so I'm curious to see how this one goes. This race should bring me to the level I have in mind. And the fact that this race suits me was also a factor. It's been a while since I rode Le Samyn, but these are the races I like to do the most. I'm excited to be here."

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Van der Poel left bad weather behind in Spain, but makes the sun shine in Belgium

So, can we expect even more surprises from the man who left the bad weather in Spain behind for the good weather in Belgium? That means no Strade Bianche. "After this race, I will follow our schedule with Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo. The team also noticed that things went better than expected," said Van der Poel, who will logically focus on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as his main goals this spring.

Anyway, back to the beginning of March: Le Samyn 2025 did not start too dynamically, but the final was really brought to life by... Van der Poel himself. With 65 kilometers to go, the top favorite attacked for the first time after an initial attack by teammate Timo Kielich. The man in the Alpecin jersey created a gap but was soon caught again. Barely twenty minutes later, he made his second attempt, with Taco van der Hoorn keeping him in check on the short cobblestone sections in the south of Belgium.

This interrupted Van der Poel's attacking intentions but appeared to have been planned. It was challenging to narrow down the field, so he focused on the final sprint in Dour. "After that attack with fifty kilometers to go, I focused on my sprint because it suited me with that uphill finish and cobblestones at the end." That's precisely what he did. Van der Poel accelerated early - "but I didn't see the last kilometer marking, so I had to sit back down" - and then pulled off a masterful acceleration. That's what you call pushing on, pushing on again, and finishing strong.

"I am pleased," Van der Poel said after his victory. "I had excellent legs, but making a difference was not easy. And many riders were focused on me. I know that my sprint is good. I sprinted with confidence. That was good enough to win," said Van der Poel, thanking his teammates. "Sam Gaze, in particular, was very good, which was very important. The other teammates kept me well-positioned at the front all day. It went well, and I am very happy to win my first race."

Read also

Van der Poel shows his skills in Le Samyn with an incredible sprint and claims victory in his first road race of the year

Preview of Strade Bianche 2025 | Pogacar can show off his skills again, Van Aert, Van der Poel, Evenepoel and Vingegaard are absent

Participants Strade Bianche 2025 | Pogacar's challengers revealed, and who will succeed Kopecky?

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