National coach Moerenhout draws up World Championship report Netherlands: "As a team we made one mistake"

A third place, that's what (or should) the Netherlands had to settle for Sunday at the World Championships cycling for elite men. On the way, the orange brigade briefly seemed to be in a predicament, but the racing instincts of leader Mathieu van der Poel eventually pointed them in the right direction. Coach Moerenhout contemplated afterward.

Van der Poel was the best rider in the race after the unbeatable Tadej Pogacar, and of course, he was very proud of that. That place on the podium was more than deserved, although the mighty Aussie Ben O'Connor squeezed between the Slovenian and the Dutchman. "There is a game being played then," Moerenhout is not too concerned about the difference between silver and bronze. A medal is a medal.

The coach blamed his selection for one thing. At 128 kilometers from the end, Jay Vine attacked, after which a chasing group formed with ten riders from ten major countries without a Dutchman. "As a team, we made one mistake: not being in the group of ten. I don't know how that happened. But that is a question of focus, I think. When such a good group of ten goes, we must be with them. That has nothing to do with communication; that's just being in the first thirty," Moerenhout assessed.

Van der Poel did not summon his men to ride but smartly chose to play poker. That paid off, as moments later, the eventual winner attacked. "Everyone knows it's all hands on deck when Pogacar goes," said Moerenhout, who realized quickly that that was the day's decisive move. 'He also had Jan Tratnik before that, so you know it will be difficult. Behind Pogacar, there was too much attacking, so it became difficult to get him back."

"You race to win because you know you have that chance," the Dutch national coach explained. "Pogacar was the clear favorite, but Mathieu also had excellent chances. He competed well, so you must be satisfied with this result."

"The coach reflected that the plan was to see Wilco, Bauke, and Mathieu in that final, with Mathieu leading the way," adding that he was ultimately rewarded with a third and 12th-place finish of his men. "Bauke didn't surprise me, but Mathieu certainly didn't either. When I scouted this course, I said from the beginning that he had a chance. But you also depend on the competition; we were stuck on an outstanding Pogacar," he summarized the mood in a few sentences.