Reckless display of raw power or not: let's cherish cycling treasure Van der Poel and his distinctive way of racing

In almost every classic where he is at the starting line, he is the top favorite, including in Gent-Wevelgem, a classic that was not yet on his list of honors. "Gent-Wevelgem is a very fun race and it's been a long time since I participated here, so I am definitely motivated to win. And it is certainly possible," MVDP said before the 253-kilometer race. That was our cue that we would be sitting on the edge of our seats quite early on. Because when Van der Poel participates, he entertains. It seems to be a certainty within contemporary cycling.

253 KM - Even in the neutralized zone, you could spot his eagerness. He was chatting and laughing with teammate Jasper Philipsen from the front row, before positioning himself a bit further back. Probably not for long, since that's not in his nature. Not much later, a dozen riders try to escape, and the Alpecin-Deceuninck squad thought that was just fine. This allowed them to control the situation right away.

245 KM - The escape attempt of the ten brave breakaway riders was short-lived, following which the pace remains relentlessly high, and attacks continue to rain down. Eventually, an eight-man breakaway forms, gaining about five minutes on the peloton, led by Alpecin-Deceuninck. The Moeren is coming up in forty kilometers.

150 KM - Echelon alert! We have only just started the Moeren – not even truly started – and the race is already wide open. On behalf of Alpecin-Deceuninck, Van der Poel sticks his nose out the window and seriously picks up the pace!

130 KM - There's no merging happening, people! The Van der Poel group significantly increases the pace, ensuring that echelons two and three cannot join. Shortly thereafter, the leaders are caught by echelon one.

93 KM - In the middle of the hill zone, the merge is a fact. Van der Poel and co have been caught up, but we definitely can't say that the Moeren haven't done any damage. On the contrary!

86 KM - Heading towards the first climb of the Kemmelberg, Van der Poel is excellently positioned (about in sixth place). Not much later, when we've actually begun, he immediately hits hard! His competitors are in for a world of pain. He blasts through the Kemmel in a way that only a few riders – Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Jonathan Milan (the Lidl-Trek trident), Tim van Dijke, Laurance Pithie and Rasmus Tiller – can follow. Serious gaps are forming right away! The Italian of the majority team attacks shortly after, forcing Van der Poel, as a lone wolf, to react and pursue vigorously. Stuyven and Pedersen find themselves in a comfortable position.

75 KM - Van der Poel is almost the only one working in pursuit of Milan. On some strips, he pulls the line all the way to the side of the road, so that everyone suffers equally. He does not wait for Philipsen.

69 KM - Van der Poel accelerates on a plugstreet and almost immediately closes the gap with Milan. Only Pedersen and Pithie can follow, but they are completely off their bikes. Milan and Pedersen then attack in turns, Van der Poel manages to neutralize. On the Kemmelberg, Pedersen goes for a strong acceleration. MVDP can follow, but is looking a little tired. Makes sense, after all his efforts so far.

34 KM - Pedersen pushes hard on the Kemmelberg, resulting in Pithie having to let the two leaders go. Van der Poel keeps up, so we get two leaders!

29 KM - The cooperation between the two world champions (the Dane was crowned rainbow champion in Yorkshire in 2019) is flawless. Pedersen and Van der Poel keep each other in check and collaborate perfectly!

FINISH! - Ultimately, it is Pedersen who significantly increases the pace in the final kilometer and turns things into a long sprint. It turns out to be a successful strategy, as the Dutchman can no longer catch up. What a delightful spectacle this was!

After the race, Van der Poel commented that Pedersen was "simply the strongest that day". "The second time up the Kemmel I was afraid of being dropped, so I just clung onto his wheel." A neat observation, followed by the question: why did Van der Poel keep pushing when he had Jasper Philipsen in the peloton behind as a plan B? "At some point, you have to make a decision. As a world champion, you have to race for it in that situation. After all, Jasper didn't win the sprint, so it's easy to judge the situation afterward. In the situation I was in, I had to try."

Pedersen, in turn, spoke of a fantastic cooperation with Van der Poel, in what could certainly be called a masterclass in racing. "We didn’t battle against each other for a long time, but against the peloton. We worked well together, for a very long time. At a certain point, I knew he would sit in my wheel, because it would also be fine for him if Philipsen came back for the peloton sprint. From there, I had to believe in my long sprint and not let him catch me by surprise."

Van der Poel used tremendous amounts of raw force throughout the day. According to some, perhaps a bit too much. "Lidl-Trek was not interested in letting Van der Poel lead until the finish, but they started to break him down eighty kilometers from the finish. Van der Poel himself did not know what to do with it and was actually gambling. For all we know, he could have let Milan get away for a minute and drop himself back to the peloton, in which case the Italian might have burned out, and Philipsen would win the race. But Van der Poel really underestimated Milan, because he truly is a beast of a man. Mathieu pushed himself three times and still couldn't close the gap, which caused him to start having doubts and become nervous," Thijs Zonneveld explained.

However, Zonneveld also had words of praise for Van der Poel and his tactics. "This generation no longer engages in dragging or wheel sucking, while that was the case in the not-so-distant past. It's just not how they think anymore. They just turn the race into a fierce battle, even if tactically that might not be the best choice. Maybe it makes the defeat easier to accept, but I find it beautiful." Philip Roodhooft, team manager at Alpecin-Deceuninck, would in turn say the following: "Mathieu has been very generous with his efforts, perhaps in an attempt to avoid the Lidl-Trek pliers completely. This has often ended well. I guess this time you could say he was a bit too exuberant. But that is, of course, in hindsight."

"Sometimes we thought that the large group might come back. However, we made sure to keep racing offensively, which meant Mathieu had to do a lot of work. As a result, Mads could win the sprint, since Mathieu had a few less watts left in the tank. This is really a victory for the team, because everyone contributed in some way," we hear from Lidl-Trek.

As fans and admirers of the world champion, let's not dwell too long on the fact that Van der Poel finished second. Or even speak of wrong tactics or a reckless display of raw power. Van der Poel turned the race into a spectacle, and perhaps that is the most beautiful aspect of a race like this, especially since we live in a time of often very programmed racing. The 29-year-old Dutchman is certainly an exception to the rule in this respect.

Increasing the pace 150 (!) kilometers from the finish (even before the Moeren!), attacking, closing gaps and making it to the finale alongside another great rider. It is a distinct art and Van der Poel, along with a few others, is in a class of his own here. To use the words of Zonneveld, it made us think back to racing in the old days (i.e. several decades ago).

Or to quote Gianni Vermeersch: "Winning two such races back-to-back would have been extraordinary. So, it's understandable he was a bit more worn out by the end. Nevertheless, I think he had a successful weekend and can approach next Sunday's Tour of Flanders with confidence." In Flanders' Finest, we're probably in for a similar show.