What did they do on Gent-Wevelgem day? Van der Poel tests E3 golf balls, van Aert responds to Strava comment

Both Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert decided to take a weekend off from competitive cycling after the tough test in the E3 Saxo Classic. While the Dutch rider was at the start of Gent-Wevelgem last year, he decided to skip this year's edition, and the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike did the same. They spent their time on Sunday in their own unique way, although neither sat still.

Van der Poel struck on Friday with a furious solo in the E3 Saxo Classic. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider performed a solo of almost 40 kilometers and won the Flemish classic for the second year in a row. This confirmed his form and put him at the top of the list of favorites for next Sunday's Tour of Flanders. But the former world champion also won a prize before the start of the one-day race.

The E3 Saxo Classic has a lovely tradition: the winner of the previous edition is always put in the spotlight at the team presentation. They then receive a very personal gift. Van der Poel was the lucky winner this year, and with the help of his girlfriend, Roxanne Bertels, the organization presented him with personalized golf balls. Golf has long been the Dutch rider's passion so that the gift would be useful. The balls were tested on Sunday: Van der Poel took to the golf course with a few friends.

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Van Aert responds to 'fan': "Found nice link"

While his rival opted for a quiet Sunday, Van Aert knew he had work to do after his disappointing performance on Friday. He simply came up short, although the Oude Kwaremont did offer hope. He climbed it in 3:10 minutes, as can be read in his Strava data. That was a personal record faster than Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna, for example, who finished second and third in the daily results. Van der Poel's time is unknown because he has not used Strava for some time. But sports journalist Jonas Creteur, sitting in front of the TV with the stopwatch, said the Dutch rider was 10 seconds faster than his rival.

So, on Sunday, there was no rest for Van Aert. He opted for a 140-kilometer ride behind the moped and did a nice workout in his home region. The ride was criticized by a 'fan,' who claimed that his pedaling pace was too slow. "Be a little harder on yourself. Family comes in second place until 35. You are far too well-behaved, also in races. You have to be a killer, Wout," suggested the online commenter; Van Aert replied: "Nice link found between my pace in training and my family life."

Van der Poel and Van Aert meet on Sunday

Van Aert will compete one more time before the Tour of Flanders, his first major goal of the season. On Wednesday, he will ride Dwars door Vlaanderen, the race in which he crashed badly last year. He wants to make the necessary race kilometers to shine in the Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel will skip the preparatory race. The two rivals will meet again at the start on Sunday and in Paris-Roubaix a week later.  

Read also

Preview Dwars door Vlaanderen 2025 | Pedersen and Van Aert return to the race where things went wrong last year

Visma | Lease a Bike (besides Kooij) in the spotlight: Bike (and Veenhoven?) in the water, Jorgenson with flashy glasses

Van Aert draws harsh conclusion after failed comeback in E3: "I was here to achieve a good result"

'What if' doesn’t matter, as Visma | Lease a Bike knows all too well after Gent-Wevelgem: "Tough to take, but that’s racing"

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