Mathieu van der Poel's coaches knew enough after his complaints: "Science will know more than I do"

Mathieu van der Poel brilliantly dominated the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck crushed the competition after a barrage of attacks, but he didn't have much confidence in the week leading up to it. In this regard, he echoed Jasper Philipsen after the Classic Brugge-De Panne, giving the coaches of Alpecin-Deceuninck hefty praise within three days. Here's a summary of the press conference with international media following the E3 Saxo Classic.

How do you manage to reach this level at the same time every year?

"I don't know. I work very hard, and I think the coaches in the team have a good understanding of how my body works. This year was somewhat of a question mark for me because I would have liked to have Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico in my legs. The level I reached now might have been the best I've ever achieved. After last year's World Championship, I also know I can improve through training, but it's always a tricky combination. Science knows more than I do, I'm afraid. Of course, I'm happy about it."

Is this the highest level in your career?

"I think so. My winter went smoothly, which obviously makes a big difference. I'm still growing as a rider, and I enjoy that."

Are you surprised by that?

"Somewhat. I didn't feel optimal this week, even in training. But it's the races that count. They always tell me I perform better when I complain a lot, and this week I did complain a lot." (laughs)

You opted for an offensive tactic. Was that the plan, to put the others on the defensive?

"No, not really. I never make a plan for the race; I just try to anticipate what happens. In my opinion, you can make a hundred plans, but if you're not in position, you still can't launch an attack. Once I was at the front, things moved quickly. With this race, after the Tiegemberg, you can't make a difference anymore, so I went all out to the top of the Oude Kwaremont. That made the race as hard as possible."

Did you expect the group to be so large before the Paterberg?

"There was a bit more wind, which made it somewhat easier. But I think it was mainly due to the Taaienberg, where the group stayed together. I was also impressed by Lidl-Trek, though I've been impressed by their classics team for a while now. As a team, they were stronger than everyone, so that was quite something."

What did you think of Wout van Aert's race?

"He rode a bit defensively, which I found disappointing. But, of course, he had just come back from a high-altitude training camp, where he worked hard for next week and the week after."

Did you catch what happened on the Paterberg?

"I didn't know there had been a fall, and at that moment, I was already launching my attack. It's much easier in the gutter, so that was a crucial point. When I reached the top alone, they told me he had fallen and that I had a twenty-second lead. From that moment, I pushed hard, but Wout made a strong comeback. Fortunately, I was able to hold him off. I was doing high wattages, so I knew he had to be on his limit too. I knew I had to break him on the Karnemelkbeekstraat. It was as if his finish line was on my wheel; he had nothing to lose."

Do you now have a mental advantage over him?

"No, not at all. He's mentally very strong, as he proved once again. He knows that there's a new race next week, with new opportunities. That's how I approach races, too, so I don't think this will bother him."

How important was it for you to win here, one week before the Tour of Flanders?

"Meh, it's not that big of a deal. I've won the Tour of Flanders before even after performing poorly in this race. But of course, I wanted to win this race because I had never won it before. So, in that sense, it was important."

How often do you train for efforts like these, heading into the finish in Harelbeke?

"Quite often, but I've always been somewhat capable of this. It's not fun to train because you can completely exhaust yourself with efforts like these. But it pays off, so it really does pay off."

And the efforts on the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont?

"I train those regularly too. Not every training session, of course, but now and then, I can push deep during these efforts in training. Yet, I find it impossible to go as deep in the races."

Is it important to you that Visma | Lease a Bike couldn't employ their tactics here?

"This race is so tough, but if you're at the front with the whole team, you can make a difference. Lidl-Trek showed that."

What does the coming week look like?

"We don't know yet. I'm keeping an eye on the weather; I might go to Spain."

Is Dwars door Vlaanderen still an option then?

"We were discussing that. If E3 and Wevelgem didn't go as well as expected, we thought it better to schedule an extra race day. But I don't think it will be necessary, so there's a higher chance I won't ride.

You're on a strong streak, with all the races you already have on your palmares. Do you want to win them all?

"I'm not necessarily focused on that, but it will probably happen on its own, right? It's already great to win in this jersey."