van der poel tour bike

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Mathieu van der Poel's Tour de France bike is monochromatic, aggressive and hides a new seat clamp design

All-Shimano build is clean as a whistle

Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Mathieu van der Poel started out his 2023 Tour de France campaign onboard this custom-painted Canyon Aeroad CFR.

The super-clean white bike is one of three bikes the Dutch multidiscipline superstar has ridden at this year’s race.

Van der Poel has since switched to his regular metallic-red Canyon Aeroad after racing this and a special-edition Raymond Poulidor tribute bike in the first week of the Tour de France .

While subdued, this all-white paintjob – officially dubbed ‘MvdP white’ by Canyon – is handsome in a muted sort of way.

Let’s take a closer look.

A go-fast cockpit for the world’s best lead-out man

The integrated cockpit of van der Poel’s bike is as good as slammed with only a teeny-tiny spacer sitting beneath the stem.

Though not as extreme as the setup used by some riders, van der Poel hasn’t been able to resist the urge to tilt his hoods slightly inwards in chase of further aero gains.

Jasper Philipsen’s lead-out man will want to ensure he’s efficient as possible when pushing watts in a sprint.

In terms of measurements, van der Poel's Canyon's CP0015 cockpit has an 11cm stem length, with the width-adjustable handlebar set at 40cm.

With many riders at the 2023 Tour running a 36cm or 38cm bar , that's a fairly conservative setup.

A neat 3D-printed out-front mount is fitted to the underside of the bar.

Seat clamp change made official?

Van der Poel’s Aeroad features an exposed expander wedge on the top tube just in front of the seatpost. A similar design is used on many of the best aero road bikes .

This design is different to both that seen on the existing consumer version of the Aeroad and the bike he rode to victory at Milan-San Remo .

The bike seen at Milan San Remo hid the expanding wedge inside the top tube. It is exposed on van der Poel’s Tour de France bike.

The original seat clamp – used on the consumer version of the Aeroad to date – adopted a design similar to that of the Canyon Ultimate, clamping as low as possible on the seat tube to enable the post to flex. This is said to improve rear-end comfort. The clamp was accessed from the rear of the bike between the seatstays.

Looking at the Canyon web store, it appears the change seen on van der Poel's latest bike has carried over to at least some of the brand’s top-end versions of the Aeroad.

A Selle Italia Flite saddle slammed all the way back on its rails sits atop the deep aero-profiled seatpost.

An all-Shimano build

Van der Poel's build is dominated by Shimano parts, covering both the groupset components and wheels.

When we saw van der Poel's bike at the Grand Départ in Bilbao, it featured Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels, shod with a pair of 28c Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres .

Those tyres inflate to 29.3mm on the C50's 21mm internal rim width.

That's still wide by modern standards – but not as wide as the tyres seen on Tadej Pogačar’s Colnago V4Rs .

On Pogačar’s bike, the (nominally) 28c Continental Grand Prix5000 TT TR tyres inflate to 31.3mm (front) and 32.2mm (rear) on the 25mm internal rim width of the ENVE SES 4.5 wheels.

Back to van der Poel's bike, and the wheelset is paired with the near-ubiquitous Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2 groupset , with van der Poel opting for 54/40t chainrings.

How much does Mathieu van der Poel's bike weigh?

The Aeroad is Canyon's aero road bike, with the Ultimate sitting alongside it at the top of the German direct-sales brand's range as a lightweight all-rounder.

We put van der Poel's bike on the BikeRadar scales at the Tour de France – and, in full team trim, it comes in at 7.94kg.

Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon Aeroad | Specs

• Frameset: Canyon Aeroad CFR MVDP
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9250 Di2
• Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace C50
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Speed, 28c (29.4mm measured), tubeless
• Cockpit: Canyon CP0015, 11cm stem, 40cm handlebar
• Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow MVDP Edt
• Weight: 7.945kg

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MATHIEU VAN DER POEL’S 2023 TOUR DE FRANCE RACE BIKE NOW AVAILABLE FROM CANYON

- Mathieu van der Poel rides the Canyon Aeroad CFR MVDP edition during the 2023 Tour de France

- New bike drops on the day the Tour starts in the hometown of Mathieu's grandfather Raymond Poulidor.

Embargo until Sunday 9 July 2023, 11:00 CEST – From explosive sprints to virtuoso solo efforts – when it comes to illuminating the highest stages in professional road racing, no one does it quite like Mathieu van der Poel.

In the past few years alone, the 28-year-old phenom has compiled a palmarès eclipsing what most top-level riders achieve in their entire career. Three Monuments in four years. Countless podium finishes. Unforgettable stints in the Maglia Rosa in 2022 and the Yellow Jersey in 2021.

And now, for one of the finest riders on the planet today comes a new Aeroad CFR, the white MVDP edition. Uniting bleeding-edge aerodynamics with advanced fit adjustment, the Aeroad CFR MVDP is the race bike Mathieu will ride for the road stages of the 2023 Tour. And befitting the world’s biggest race, it’s a bike that represents the pinnacle of road racing performance.

The Aeroad CFR is the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden – simply sensational in every way.  Mathieu van der Poel

And just like its namesake, this bike exudes style and class, with special 3D MVDP logo decals, special-edition artwork, dynamic CFR branding and a beautiful premium finish combining to create a stunning overall aesthetic.

But of course, style means nothing without speed. And combining its world-class frame with a component set fit for MVDP himself, this Aeroad more than has the speed to mix it up at the sharp end of the pack.

World Tour-level components Every element of the Aeroad CFR MVDP has been optimised for all-out performance. An aero Canyon CP0015 Pro Sport Cockpit creates a super-aggressive, hunkered-down riding position and perfectly integrates all cables and lines into an easily adjustable and easy-to-transport design, saving valuable watts and letting the rider dial in their perfect fit with no steerer tube cutting required. For extra aero gains, it’s combined with a Canyon SP0066 aero seatpost, painstakingly sculpted to keep drag to an absolute minimum.

Shimano’s sensational Dura-Ace wheels also contribute to the bike’s pro credentials, with stiff 60 mm D2 rims uniting advanced aerodynamics with class-leading levels of power transfer.

Furthermore, Shimano's 12-speed Dura-Ace sets the benchmark for top-tier shifting, with state-of-the-art semi-wireless technology, exceptional precision and efficiency, and a beautifully elegant design. The Aeroad MVDP also comes with a dual-sided power meter seamlessly integrated into the 52/36 crankset.

And last but by no means least, this outstanding setup is rounded out by Van der Poel’s own signature saddle, the Selle Italia Flite Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow MVDP. With its unique design and superlight carbon rails, it’s the saddle that MVDP relies on at the biggest races.

A world-class race bike fit for the world’s best. The Aeroad CFR MVDP is available from Sunday 9 July 2023, 11 am CEST for €9,999, exclusively at  canyon.com .

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. All images are rights-free. Feel free to use them!

About Canyon

Canyon is one of the most innovative bike brands in the world. The concept began in founder Roman Arnold’s garage and grew to be the world’s largest direct-to-customer manufacturer of road bikes , mountain bikes , triathlon bikes , gravel bikes , hybrid bikes , and electric bikes .

Canyon have earned their glowing reputation for innovation through consistently using advanced materials, thinking, and technology. The iconic Canyon design is easy to identify. Alongside being boldly competitive and ever-expanding, they are committed to making the global cycling community accessible for every rider.

While Canyon partners with some of the finest athletes on the planet, their mission, ‘Inspire to Ride’, highlights how they work to promote the power of cycling to everyone.

Canyon products are exclusively available online at  www.canyon.com .

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• Spring Classics

Canyon releases Mathieu van der Poel’s Aeroad CFR Tour de France bike

Special-edition bike has custom white colourway and unique decals

Tom Hallam-Gravells

Online production editor.

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Ride the same bike as Mathieu van der Poel.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) hasn’t won any stages at the 2023 Tour de France just yet but he has produced some impressive leadouts for teammate Jasper Philipsen who bagged two early stage wins.

Those leadouts were carried out on a special-edition Aeroad CFR MVDP which Canyon has now officially released to the public. While you may not be able to emulate the flying Dutchman’s Tour de France performances, you can now own the same bike as the one he’ll ride throughout the 2023 Tour de France.

In a nice touch, the bike’s 9 July official launch is on the same day that the Tour de France starts in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, the hometown of van der Poel’s grandfather and former pro cyclist Raymond Poulidor.

Poulidor still holds the record for the most podium finishes at the Tour de France, finishing in the top-three eight times between 1962 and 1976.

It’s the second Mathieu van der Poel-inspired bike the German brand has released this year following the limited-edition Aeroad CFR Disc back in May. That bike was produced to celebrate his “all-action style” following two Monument victories at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix and came with some unique decals including a 3D MVDP logo.

The logo makes a return for the Aeroad CFR MVDP, located on the front of the head tube, but the overall design is revamped with a new, sleek white custom colourway.

The Canyon Aeroad CFR MVDP is “optimised for all-out performance”.

Beyond the design, the Aeroad CFR is Canyon’s premier aero road bike and the German brand says that every aspect of it has been “optimised for all-out performance”.

Van der Poel himself describes the CFR as “the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden – simply sensational in every way”.

That performance is provided by a combination of pro-level components, starting with Shimano’s Dura-Ace 12-Speed Power Meter Chainset, specced with a 52/36-tooth crankset. This differs from the regular higher-end model of the bike which combines a Dura-Ace derailleur with a Rotor ALDHU24 power meter crankset.

The wheels are also Shimano’s Dura-Ace with a 60mm depth which is slightly shallower than the 62mm DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut wheels that are specced on the regular edition of the bike.

Canyon’s own-brand components complete much of the build, including the Pro Sport Cockpit which is combined with the SP0066 aero seatpost.

Unique van der Poel-inspired features include a limited-edition saddle.

Van der Poel’s special-edition Selle Italia Flite Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow MVDP saddle completes the build.

As you may expect, a World Tour-level bike isn’t cheap and it’ll set you back €9,999. Check out the bike on Canyon’s website .

Alpecin-Deceuninck

• Nationality Belgium
• Founded 2009
• Team Principal Christoph Roodhooft & Philip Roodhooft
• UCI Code ADC
• Bike Sponsor Canyon

Mathieu van der Poel

• Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Nationality Netherlands
• UCI Wins 53
• Height 1.84m

Tour de France

• Dates 1 Jul - 23 Jul
• Race Length 3,401 kms
• Race Category Elite Men

Canyon Bicycles GmbH is a German manufacturer of road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, triathlon bikes and e-bikes based in Koblenz, Germany.

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Check out the Canyon Aeroad that Mathieu van der Poel rode to Tour of Flanders win

First Published Apr 5, 2022

Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders for the second time in his career on Sunday (3rd April 2022) in an extraordinary sprint finish, and this is the all-white Canyon Aeroad that he rode to victory.

Canyon unveiled the latest version of the Aeroad – the 065 – in October 2020 , and it is a model that has already had an interesting history.

As the name suggests, the Aeroad is the aero road bike in Canyon’s range, sitting alongside the lightweight Ultimate. The bike was developed with aero-wheel specialist Swiss Side and, according to Canyon, a notional rider can hold 45km/h (28mph) while putting out 7.4 watts less than was required on the previous model.

As well as improved aerodynamics, the latest version is also lighter and the cables/hoses are routed internally on most models.

We had the Canyon Aeroad for about a week at launch and absolutely loved it, but within a couple of months, Aeroad owners were complaining of excessive wear at the point where the seat post met the seat tube.

Then in early March, the aero cockpit snapped under Mathieu van der Poel while racing Le Samyn and Canyon issued a ‘stop ride’ notice to owners of the 2021 Canyon Aeroad models that featured the CP15 and CP18 width-adjustable cockpits. The pros, meanwhile, continued using the Aeroad but with an older handlebar and partly external cable routing.

Pics  Copyright SWpic.com-Zac Williams

To cut a long story short, Canyon worked hard and fast on a solution and by the time Mathieu van der Poel stormed to victory on Stage 2 of the Tour de France, he was using a new handlebar and there wasn’t a cable in sight, although other riders were without the new cockpit.

Like the majority of UCI WorldTeams, Alpecin-Fenix uses 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets. Riders have the latest R9200 version that was revealed last August . 

Read our Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset review

Like the rest of the team, Mathieu van der Poel is using the new Shimano Dura-Ace FC-R9200-P power meter, although some other teams use bikes equipped with the previous version, designed for use with 11-speed systems.

Check out our review of the Shimano Dura-Ace FC-R9200-P power meter

The wheels are Shimano Dura-Ace too. They’re C50s, the 50 referring to the rim depth in millimetres. These are designed as all-rounders, intended to offer a balance between low weight and aerodynamic performance. Shimano claims a weight of 674g for the front wheel and 787g for the rear.

These wheels are available for tubular tyres but Alpecin-Fenix went for the tubeless version run with Vittoria Cross Control tyres in a 28mm width.

The handlebar/stem is from Canyon with an out-front mount for a Wahoo bike computer. The handlebar tape is from Selle Italia and, although you can’t see it in these pics, Mathieu van der Poel uses a Selle Italia Flite Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow saddle.

The bottle cages are Elite’s Custom Race Plus – made from fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) and weighing 40g each – used with super light (54g) Elite Fly bottles before Van der Poel ditched them ahead of the finale.

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Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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I love that amongst all the high-tech aerodynamic design, vertical compliance and minimal watts at a 18.2% shear angle stuff, is a bottle cage that costs £10 and does the job perfectly.

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jollygoodvelo wrote: I love that amongst all the high-tech aerodynamic design, vertical compliance and minimal watts at a 18.2% shear angle stuff, is a bottle cage that costs £10 and does the job perfectly.

On cobbles too, proper vote of confidence in its holding abilities.

Can owners actually ride the version they bought in 2020 yet? Have all the defects been fixed? I might have missed it but I'd have thought it was big news if owners could actually safely ride a bike they bought 18 months ago. 

There's a very long thread in weight_weenies about the Aeroad. From what I can gather, I haven't read the whole thing, loads of people sent their Aeroad back to Canyon for a fix. This took a long time. Some people have their bike back with whatever has been done to the seatpost and handlebar, it's a complicated design, others have received replacements, perhaps with price adjustments. The 12-speed versions are on sale now and apparently there are lots of 11-speed versions 'lightly used' on the Canyon outlet in Germany.

Last time I looked at that thread there were quite a lot of people not happy with the lack of communication. I think some people were being offered €1000 refunds but the bikes, even without the design issues, would have lost more than that.    

I really hope they don't mess anything up this time or with the new iteration of the Ultimate. It sounds like I'm a Canyon hater but I'm not, far from it (I'll own an Ultimate one day), I love the looks of their frames and the branding but I think their quality control and testing seems a little lacking. 

Latest Comments

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Pro bike: Mathieu van der Poel's Roubaix-winning Canyon Aeroad CFR

The Dutchman secured his second victory in the Queen of the Classics on Sunday, but made few significant changes to his tried and trusted bike setup

Words: Richard Windsor

Photos: James Startt

As he approached the Roubaix Velodrome on Sunday, safely ensconced in the comfort of a three-minute time gap to the nearest riders, Mathieu van der Poel took a second to stare directly down the lens of the TV camera and pat the side of his bike in acknowledgement. While some of that public recognition may be thanks to the big money 10-year sponsorship deal he signed with Canyon less than a month ago, it’s more heartening to think it was a signal of thanks for making it through Paris-Roubaix incident-free.

A lot is discussed about the tech deployed at Roubaix, and teams spend thousands researching the best setups to go as fast and as safely as possible over the cobble sectors. But no matter how good a setup is, mechanicals at Roubaix largely come down to luck (or lack of it).

As well as the scintillating form that has now delivered two Monuments already this season, Van der Poel and his Canyon Aeroad CFR also seemingly had that luck on their side, the Dutchman appearing to make it through the Hell of the North with no significant mechanical hindrances. In fact, even if he had suffered an unfortunate puncture in the last 40km or so, the gap was so big and his support car so close behind him that he could have made a bike change and still won.

We managed to get hold of the world champion’s all-white Roubaix bike for a close look in both its clean, race-ready state and with the customary dust and mud in the velodrome at the end of the race.

At a glance, there is little to distinguish Van der Poel’s Roubaix bike from the one he uses for every other race. The glistening white frame, adorned with a mass of Canyon logos and one each for the component supplier Shimano and indoor training platform Zwift, only gently nods to his Worlds victory in Glasgow last year with rainbows on the drive-side seatstay and on the frame sticker on the top tube.

There are a couple of other subtle tributes to his world champion status elsewhere, including atop his Selle Italia Flite Boost MVDP Carbonio Superflow Saddle and on the inside of the Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels near the tubeless valve. It’s fair to say Van der Poel has erred on the side of less-is-more when it comes to rainbows compared to some examples from recent years.

There’s one other customisation not Worlds related on the frame, and that’s the white-out MVDP logo on the otherwise decal-clear head tube.

Let’s look at Roubaix changes then. Overall, there’s not that many of them. There’s no change of setup to a two piece or round bars; Van der Poel continues to use the CP0018 Aerocockpit which is slammed to maintain a low and aggressive position. That’s fronted with a Forward AM I Canyon 3D-Print Mount, which is clearly capable of keeping his Wahoo in position in a race as jarring as Paris-Roubaix.

The only obvious change to the Dutchman’s cockpit setup is the double-wrapped bar tape. Van der Poel never wears mitts, so an extra bit of cushioning on the cobbles can make all the difference between winning and losing.

He’s seemingly never been a rider to have any extreme inward tilt of his shifters, but the Dura-Ace R9270 hydraulic shifters are built in with some light inward tilt as well as marginally taller hoods for better ergonomics.

Further down in the full Dura-Ace groupset, Van der Poel doesn’t seem to have bought into the trend of giant chainrings for Roubaix, with many riders using a 56 (or even bigger) outside chainring to try and gain an advantage in the high-speeds that are now common at the Hell of the North.

Here, his bike is equipped with a 54/40 chainset, which is pretty standard in most races given the greater range of gears provided by the 12-speed cassette, which is an 11-30. The chainset is equipped with Shimano’s proprietary power meter, and you can see the magnet on the chainstay just inside of the chainrings.

The biggest difference-maker and most noticeable change about Van der Poel’s Roubaix bike is undoubtedly the tyres. The 29-year-old generally tends to run 28mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres during the season, as we saw at the Tour de France last year, but for Roubaix those are switched out for 32mm versions. That extra width, as well as being tubeless, allows the mechanics to run Van der Poel’s pressure much lower, providing comfort and much needed grip over the cobbles sectors which were a mix of dry and wet on Sunday.

It doesn’t seem that Van der Poel deployed any special bottle cages for the pavé either, instead trusting in his standard Elite Custom Race Plus cages to do the business and keep his bidons safely secured.

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Mathieu van der Poel wins record-equalling third Tour of Flanders with 45km attack

Dutchman pulls off audacious long-range coup to claim Monument victory

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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took a record-equalling victory at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, joining an exclusive club of riders who have won the race three times. 

The world champion launched his winning move on the Koppenberg, the twelfth of 17 rain-soaked hellingen climbs, with 45km to go. There, as his competitors unclipped and scaled the 20% slope by foot, the Dutchman sailed clear. 

He then soloed over the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, on to the line in Oudenaarde. Over a minute later, Luca Mozzato (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) pipped Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) to second in a photo finish. The Australian was then relegated, with Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) rounding out the podium. 

Only seven men in history have won the Tour of Flanders three times, among them Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara and Johan Museeuw. 

Van der Poel's victory came in the absence of his career-long rival, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who suffered “ several fractures ” in a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and pulled out of the Monument. 

How it happened

One of the biggest races in the calendar, attacks for the victory started from 100km to go. The first meaningful move came courtesy of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who accelerated on the 400m-long Molenberg, agitating the bunch, and pulling away a select group of the race favourites, save for Van der Poel, who bided his time in the group behind. 

When the Dutchman zipped across the gap 10km later, Pedersen attacked again off the front. Van der Poel would not earn his third win easily, it became clear. His Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mate Gianni Vermeersch followed Pedersen to police the move. 

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With 55km to go, on the second of three ascents of the Oude Kwaremont, Van der Poel caught and passed the leading duo. Would he go solo? Not just yet. The group reassembled a few kilometres later, and scaled the Paterberg as one.

Ivan García Cortina (Movistar) led onto the Koppenberg, the steepest of the hellingen in the race, but fell victim to a mechanical and stepped off onto the cobbles. 

As the Spaniard tinkered frantically with his bike, Van der Poel flew over his shoulder. One bike length, two bike lengths. The gap to his rivals behind grew on the slippery, double-figure gradients. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) chased, while almost every other rider unclipped and walked up the cobbles. A peculiar sight,  befitting of the sportive held the day before, but telling of the difficulty of the pitch.

For the six-time cyclo-cross world champion, the Koppenberg was light work. His seven-second advantage to Jorgenson stretched out on the descent. Within moments, he was almost two minutes clear, and cruising over the famous finale pairing of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. 

With the finish line in sight, Van der Poel slowed to freewheel and soak in the moment. He then lifted his bike above his head, a Belgian-born Dutchman, triumphant in Flanders once again.

" It's one of the hardest races I've ever done ," Van der Poel said afterwards. It was also one of his most spectacular victories. 

Tour of Flanders 2024: Antwerp > Oudenaarde (270.8km)

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck, in 6-05-17 2. Luca Mozzato (Ita) Arkéa - B&B Hotels, +1-02 3. Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates 4. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) UAE Team Emirates 5. António Morgado (Por) UAE Team Emirates 6. Magnus Sheffield (USA) Ineos Grenadiers 7. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 8. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech 9. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost 10. Toms Skujiņš (Lat) Lidl-Trek, all at same time

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Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast , which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders. 

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. 

He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. 

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MATHIEU VAN DER POEL LEAVES TOUR DE FRANCE

Mathieu van der Poel pulled out of the Tour de France on Sunday after a spectacular star turn in the overall lead came to a shuddering halt in the Alps. His withdrawal came on the same day 2020 runner-up Primoz Roglic decided he’d suffered after last Monday’s crash and an embarrassing meltdown on Saturday, when he finished 35 minutes off the pace. Van der Poel, a Tour rookie, spent six days in the yellow jersey, but now heads to Tokyo and Mount Fuji, where he will go for Olympic gold in his preferred mountain biking discipline.

“My Le Tour de France has already been a success. I’d prefer to race until Paris, I like it here. But we also have to consider my other goals,” van der Poel said.

“We took the decision this morning, I’m not starting today’s stage,” said the 26-year-old Dutchman.

Van der Poel said if it hadn’t been for the pandemic he may have been able to get up to form to fully contest both, and made a promise to his fans.

“I’ll be back next year with ideas about making it to Paris,” he said, in reference to the race finish line.

“Thank you for an amazing week and all those unforgettable moments, Mathieu,” his Alpecin Fenix team said on social media just ahead of the start of Sunday’s run to a summit finish in Tignes.

“Mathieu Van der Poel won’t be at the start of today’s stage, and leaves Le Tour de France after an amazing week!”

Grandson of French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor, Van der Poel set pulses racing with his gung-ho stage 2 win as he took the yellow jersey that his grandfather, despite eight Tour podium finishes, never wore. It took him a Herculean effort. At the finish, he threw himself to the ground gasping for breath before weeping in relief for the settling a debt he’d promised his grandfather, saying “if only he were here.”

Roadside fans in France cheered him all the way from western Brittany to the chic ski resorts on the Swiss border where Van der Poel dug deep to maintain his lead, but his large frame means the all-rounder is unable to keep up with the lighter climb specialists in the high mountains.

On Saturday ‘MVDP’, as fans call him, pulled alongside champion Tadej Pogacar and spoke briefly before giving up the chase and the yellow jersey.

Although he had never been expected to win the Tour, he will be long remembered for lighting the fuse on an explosive edition, dominated by adventurous tactics and dramatic racing against an emotional backdrop as France exits lockdown and fans pack the roadsides looking for a hero. They briefly found one in Van der Poel.

RBA/AFP Photos: Bettini

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Pogačar beats Van der Poel in a dominant win at Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic

LIEGE, Belgium — Tadej Pogačar proved too strong for Mathieu Van der Poel as he won the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycling classic with a solo breakaway on Sunday.

Pogačar attacked 35 kilometers (22 miles) out to win cycling’s oldest classic for the second time, after victory in 2021, and made up for last year when he broke his left wrist in a crash.

“I’m happy that I can finally win this race again,” the 25-year-old Slovenian said. “It’s beautiful to finish like this.”

The two-time Tour de France champion waved to the crowd as he approached the finish line well clear. French veteran Romain Bardet finished second and Van der Poel led a mass sprint to the line to finish third.

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is one of the five “monuments” in one-day cycling with the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Lombardy and Milan-San Remo. Van der Poel won Roubaix two weeks ago but has not won Liège and Lombardy.

Pogačar beat Van der Poel last year to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and they have won six monuments each.

The 254.5-kilometer (157.8-mile) trek, starting and finishing in the eastern Belgian city of Liège in chilly conditions, featured 11 small hills and played to Pogačar’s elite climbing skills. He pulled ahead in a small group with Van der Poel one minute behind.

Van der Poel’s group caught Pogačar with 70 kilometers remaining to form a main peloton. But with Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates setting a fast tempo at the front, Pogačar attacked again and no rival could catch him.

He clocked 6 hours, 13 minutes, 48 seconds with Bardet 1:39 behind and Van der Poel 2:02 back.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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Men’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024 as it happened – Pogcar attacks with 35km to go, cruises to second LBL title; Bardet 2nd, Van der Poel 3rd

Updated 21/04/2024 at 14:54 GMT

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Pogačar beats Van der Poel in a dominant win at Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Emirates team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Emirates team after crossing the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

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LIEGE, Belgium (AP) — Tadej Pogačar proved too strong for Mathieu Van der Poel as he won the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycling classic with a solo breakaway on Sunday.

Pogačar attacked 35 kilometers (22 miles) out to win cycling’s oldest classic for the second time, after victory in 2021, and made up for last year when he broke his left wrist in a crash.

“I’m happy that I can finally win this race again,” the 25-year-old Slovenian said. “It’s beautiful to finish like this.”

The two-time Tour de France champion waved to the crowd as he approached the finish line well clear. French veteran Romain Bardet finished second and Van der Poel led a mass sprint to the line to finish third.

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is one of the five “monuments” in one-day cycling with the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Lombardy and Milan-San Remo. Van der Poel won Roubaix two weeks ago but has not won Liège and Lombardy.

Pogačar beat Van der Poel last year to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and they have won six monuments each.

The 254.5-kilometer (157.8-mile) trek, starting and finishing in the eastern Belgian city of Liège in chilly conditions, featured 11 small hills and played to Pogačar’s elite climbing skills. He pulled ahead in a small group with Van der Poel one minute behind.

Van der Poel’s group caught Pogačar with 70 kilometers remaining to form a main peloton. But with Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates setting a fast tempo at the front, Pogačar attacked again and no rival could catch him.

He clocked 6 hours, 13 minutes, 48 seconds with Bardet 1:39 behind and Van der Poel 2:02 back.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Results from Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024

Tadej Pogačar stormed to the victory in the men’s race.

It was a grim, chilly day at La Doyenne, one of the oldest, most revered bike races in Monuments season.

The men’s race was drama-filled, with a small attack early in the race getting reabsorbed as the big climbs started, and a massive crash split up the three riders we expected to see in the final sprint. UAE Team Emirates had the best luck—and tactics—of the day, and Tadej Pogačar had one of the biggest margins of victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in years.

In a stunning six rider sprint in the women's race, Grace Brown took an astonishing victory with one of the most impressive sprints we’ve ever seen, ahead of Elisa Longo-Borghini and Demi Vollering.

Here’s how the race played out:

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Men’s Recap

With Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the mix, this was bound to be a fascinating race to watch, and they did not disappoint.

Early in the race, a group of nine riders containing Lilian Calmejane, Rochas Remy, Gil Gelders, Christian Scaroni, Fabien Doubey, Paul Ourselin, Loic Vliegen, and Enzo Leijnse. The group eventually whittled down to five riders—Gelders, Rochas, Scaroni, Doubey, Ourselin—and grew their advantage to a few minutes, but the strong peloton slowly began to reel them back in as they hit the 130 kilometers to go point.

It all seemed relatively calm until the course ticked to under 100 kilometers to go. Within minutes, two crashes slowed the peloton, the first just taking down three riders but the second stopping half of the peloton—including Van der Poel— for over a minute.

By 94 kilometers to go—at the start of the hilliest portion of the course—the front half of the peloton had nearly clawed back the chase group while Van der Poel and the rest of the peloton struggled to catch back up. Riders including Canadian Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) took turns at the front, closing on the lead group of five, while Van der Poel’s group was a minute behind the main peloton.

Heading into the Cote de Wanne climb, Gee pressed the pace and closed the gap to the lead group as the climb began. Pidcock, who’d fallen behind with a bike issue, was forced to the side of the road to make a bike change, but unfortunately spent a significant amount of time waiting for the bike and was forced to chase. As they climbed, he was 1:22 behind the leaders, just 13 seconds behind Van der Poel’s group.

With just under 80 kilometers to go, Pidcock made a huge attack on the group containing Van der Poel, racing to try to reconnect with the lead peloton. Only a few riders were able to go with him, including Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quickstep)—and Van der Poel was not with him. Within minutes, he’d dropped the gap from 1:20 to 55 seconds, with the chasers 10 seconds back, with the FDJ car somewhat sketchily pacing the chase group back to Pidcock. (The announcers were appalled, as were people watching on Twitter.)

Meanwhile, UAE controlled the front of the lead group and clearly, Pogačar was having the best luck of the day—even if Pidcock or Van der Poel were able to reconnect, Pogačar still had a full accoutrement of his teammates around him and hadn’t been forced to chase, while Pidcock and Van der Poel would be tired from their earlier chases.

Pidcock’s group whittled down the time to the leaders down to 25 seconds, and his attack clearly spurred on the group behind him, and their gap dropped to under 40 seconds with 73 kilometers to go. (Which may have also been thanks to yet another team car pushing the pace at the front.)

Pidcock’s attack worked, and he managed to slot into the lead group as the rest of the peloton also attached to the back a few seconds later. As the announcers pointed out, the team car situation felt a bit egregious, though considering the peloton was separated due to a massive crash, it felt like a bit of a gray area.

The peloton was together as they hit the Col du Rosier, with UAE still on the front. Heading into Cote de la Redoute, with some of the steepest grades, the UAE team swarmed to the front, clearly setting up for Pogačar to make his move while Movistar and EF Education-EasyPost moved riders towards the head of the group as well.

Pogačar attacked, opening up a gap quickly with EF Education-EasyPost trying to go with him, as Richard Carapaz was just able to stay in contact with his wheel. But within a minute, Carapaz clearly was unable to hold Pogačar’s pace as Ineos Grenadiers attempted to swarm to the front. But the gap continued to open.

By the top of the climb, Pogačar’s lead had grown to eight seconds while Pidcock was dropped back in the chase. And Pogačar only grew his lead—up to over 90 seconds by 15 kilometers to go—while behind him, the race clearly became less about catching the UAE rider and more about podium positions.

At 13 kilometers to go, Roman Bardet (dsm-firmenich) attacked on the final climb, as Carapaz and his teammate Ben Healy tried to hang on to his wheel. Bardet managed to go clear of the group, with 1:50 between him and Pogačar while behind him, the whittled down group of pursuers including Van der Poel, Healy and Pidcock raced 19 seconds behind Bardet.

With a kilometer to go and nearly two minutes of lead time on Bardet, Pogačar had plenty of time to celebrate his victory. Behind him, Bardet hung onto his lead for second. Behind him, a group of 20 riders fought for position in the final kilometer, with Van der Poel leading into the sprint and taking the third place on the podium.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024 Men’s Results - Top 10

• Tadej Pogačar
• Roman Bardet
• Mathieu Van der Poel
• Maxim Van Gils
• Aurelien Paret-Peintre
• Mauri Vansevenant
• Valentin Madouas
• Alexey Lutsenko
• Pello Bilbao
• Thomas Pidcock

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Women’s Recap

A small break with two riders on de Cote de Saint Roche kicked off the 152-kilometer race for the women, including AG s Sarah Gigante. On the same climb, Canyon // SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadoma, one of the race favorites, had a mechanical and needed to wait for a new bike.

Gigante grew a solo lead to nearly two minutes with 116 kilometers to go. She was caught on Col du Rosier—similar to the lead group in the men’s race!—by six chasers including Canyon//SRAM’s Elise Chabbey and Grace Brown (FDJ Suez).

When live coverage began at 45 kilometers to go, a nine-woman lead group containing Chabbey, Brown, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx) and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) had three minutes on the main peloton with Julie Bego (Cofidis). Because the main teams were all present in the lead group, the peloton seemed unworried about working to catch them.

But as the riders hit 35 kilometers to go, the Lidl-Trek squad seemed to want to close the gap to the leaders, despite having Brand in the breakaway. Niewiadoma blocked their efforts, but the gap dropped to around two minutes, down from three. In the break, Brown attacked with Chabbey and Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Cannondale), splitting the group and dropping Gigante, establishing a 30-second gap.

Behind the lead trio, Eva van Agt (Visma-Lease a Bike), Flora Perkins (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Brand, Bredewold and Gigante tried to chase but the leaders established a nearly one minute gap at just under 30 kilometers to go.

Back in the peloton, UAE’s Silvia Persico, Lidl Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering moved to the front of the peloton and attacked, with Niewiadoma close behind. Their move seemed to spur on the peloton to close the gap to the small group of chasers, which they did within several minutes.

As the lead trio hit the final climb—Roche-aux-Faucons—Chabbey led as the chasers with Perkins on the front behind them closed to under a minute. Cadzow seemed to struggle on the climb, though she hung on, as Chabbey pushed the pace.

But the peloton also attacked the climb at max speed, dropping riders off the back as they lowered the gap to the three leaders. Longo-Borghini launched an attack, covered by Niewiadoma, Vollering and Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike). Vos fell off the pace and Longo-Borghini continued to attack over and over, dropping the gap to the leaders to under 40 seconds.

With just over 10 kilometers to go, the gap was a mere 30 seconds between Brown’s group and Vollering’s chase group, with the peloton led by Vos only 10 seconds behind them. It seemed inevitable that at least the two small lead groups would come back together for the finale.

With 9.5 kilometers to go, the two group of three connected, with Vollering making the connection with all of the main race hills behind them. But Vollering and Niewiadoma didn’t connect entirely, falling slightly behind as Longo-Borghini attacked. Cadzow and Brown skidded onto the grass in a corner, Vollering skidded and had to put a foot down, but all the riders managed to stay upright despite near-calamity with 6.5 kilometers to go.

Longo-Borghini and Chabbey attacked together, with Vollering trying to close the gap with Niewiadoma on her wheel as Brown and Cadzow frantically chased. The attacks came fast and furious, with Niewiadoma attacking, Longo-Borghini countering, Chabbey responding. Brown and Cadzow were able to connect to the back of the leaders again, while Vollering moved to the front and kept the pace high. Behind them, the chase group was 46 seconds behind—just far enough that it was nearly impossible to close the gap before the leaders hit the finish line.

At 1.7 kilometers to go, Niewiadoma launched one more attack, but it was quickly countered. The six riders began to prepare their final moves. Niewiadoma attacked on the left at 1 kilometer to go and Cadzow hopped on her wheel, followed by Longo-Borghini. Niewiadoma hit the gas again, going clear from Cadzow. Long Borghini jumped around and grabbed her wheel. Longo Borghini hit the front in the final hundred meters, but Brown pipped her right at the line, playing the sprint perfectly and becoming the first Australian woman to win Liege Bastogne Liege with Longo-Borghini behind.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Women's Results - Top 10

• Grace Brown
• Elisa Longo Borghini
• Demi Vollering
• Elise Chabbey
• Kasia Niewiadoma
• Marianne Vos
• Juliette Labous
• Ricarda Bauerfeind
• Niamh Fisher Black

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We dive into the power numbers of Mathieu van der Poel, Luca Mozzato, Oier Lazkano, and more at the Tour of Flanders.

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One of the most difficult feats in cycling is winning a race in which you are the overwhelming favorite. As a marked rider, the other teams will never let you go in the breakaway, and with every attack that you make, there’s a good chance that the entire peloton will be glued to your wheel. Mathieu Van der Poel was a marked man — literally marked by the resplendent rainbow strips of World Champion — yet he still rode away from the entire field to win his third Tour of Flanders .

In this article, we take a closer look at the power data from the Tour of Flanders , and what it takes to race with the best classics riders in the world.

Three Hours of Fatigue in the Legs

The Tour of Flanders is one of the longest races in professional cycling, stretching 271 kilometers from Antwerp to Oudenaarde. It’s easy to forget the first 130km of the race because there weren’t many crucial events that affected the outcome of the race. But the riders’ legs don’t forget these first 130km, which are building fatigue and burning through kilojoules. This approximately three-hour period will come back to haunt many of them. Here’s a look at second-place finisher Luca Mozzato’s start to the 2024 Tour of Flanders.

Mozzato – First 130 km of the Tour of Flanders

Time : 2:52:46

Average Power : 211w (3.2w/kg)

Normalized Power : 240w (3.6w/kg)

Now…the Hard Part (115 km to go)

The next phase of the race kicked off with 115 km to go when the peloton began climbing the Kapelberg. Over the next 100 km, the riders would take on 16 helligen , the famous Flemish climbs, many of which are made of cobblestones.

Oier Lazkano was one of the foremost riders in the race, climbing alongside Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen , and Matteo Jorgenson . The Spanish Champion put his incredible power on display by accelerating on multiple climbs and holding a normalized power of more than 420 watts for 90 km.

Near the end of this period, Lazkano attempted to follow Van der Poel’s attack on the Oude Kwaremont. In fact, the Spaniard was the only rider who was able to close the gap to the world champion, catching him just before the summit. This is what it took to chase down Mathieu van der Poel on the famous Oude Kwaremont.

Lazkano – Peak 2-Hour Normalized Power

Time : 2:07:34

Average Power : 354w (4.8w/kg)

Normalized Power : 422w (5.8w/kg)

Following MVDP on the Oude Kwaremont: 555w (7.9w/kg) for 3:19

Koppenberg: The Turning Point of the Race

Few could have predicted the chaos that decided the 2024 Tour of Flanders. While most expected MVDP to win, few saw it happening like this.

As the peloton raced towards the Koppenberg — known as the toughest climb in Flanders — there were reports of danger ahead. The Koppenberg cobbles were so wet and muddy that the race officials warned the peloton ahead of their ascent. And they were 100 percent right .

Van der Poel accelerated to the front of the peloton as the race hit the Koppenberg. Jorgenson attempted to follow, and both riders struggled to maintain traction on the muddy cobbles. In a comical and shocking turn of events, the rest of the peloton couldn’t even stay on their bikes. Riders unclipped and began to walk, only to remount and slip off again a few meters later.

By the summit, MvdP had an eight-second gap on Jorgenson and a massive gap to the rest of the peloton. Jorgenson climbed the Koppenberg in just over two minutes, 19 seconds slower than Tadej Pogačar did in 2023.

In the 2021 Tour of Flanders, Mathieu van der Poel climbed the Koppenberg in one minute and 40 seconds at an average of 603 w. Though the times were significantly slower in 2024, we can certainly say that the conditions were slower as well. Like many riders, Lazkano lost minutes by walking on the 500-meter climb of the Koppenberg. No matter how strong he was, his race was over.

Koppenberg – Strava Top 10

Van der Poel (2021) : 1:40 at 603w (7.6w/kg)

Pogačar (2023) : 1:42 at ~520w (8w/kg)

Van der Poel (2024) : ~1:52 at 580w (7.3w/kg)

Lazkano (2024) : 3:45 with lots of walking

The Not-So-Thrilling Finale

Like so many races in the past few years, the race was over with 40 km to go. Jorgenson blew up trying to chase down Van der Poel, and the world champion soon had more than a minute on the next group of chasers.

It’s rumored that Van der Poel had a normalized power (NP) of more than 400 w at last year’s world championship road race Glasgow . That was one of the hardest and most chaotic races in recent memory, perfect for Van der Poel. The 29-year-old has a new MO: start attacking with 80-120 kilometers to go and keep on attacking until there’s no one left.

When up against the best riders in the world, such as peak-form Pogačar, Wout van Aert, or Pedersen, it usually takes hours of non-stop attacking to finally crack them. But in a race like the 2024 Tour of Flanders, where most of the favorites were missing or injured, it only took one serious attack for Van der Poel to get away.

While we don’t have the world champion’s power data, we do know that Mozzato averaged 42 kph for the final hour of the race. That means that Van der Poel averaged ~43 kph solo…for an hour…five hours and 5,000+ kilojoules deep into the race…on a wet course that included the Taaienberg, Oude Kruisberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg in the finale.

2024 Tour of Flanders – Final 42km

Van der Poel (solo): 58:59 at ~43 kph

Mozzato (chase group): 1:00:01 at NP 321w

The world champion lifted his bike in the air at the finish line, winning his third Tour of Flanders in just five years. The chase groups were in a washing machine for the last 45 km, and ultimately, a group of 10 came into the final kilometer to contest the podium.

To almost everyone’s surprise, Luca Mozzato came out of the wheels to finish second at the Tour of Flanders, the best result of his career. Nils Politt finished third after Michael Matthews was relegated for a sprint deviation . After six hours of hanging onto the front group, Mozzato timed his sprint perfectly to take the second step on the podium.

After six hours of full gas racing, everyone was sprinting on dead legs. Mozzato only had to hold 900w for a few seconds to sprint onto the podium.

Mozzato – Final Sprint

Time : final 19 seconds

Average Power : 607w (9.1w/kg)

Final 3 seconds : 900w (13.4w/kg)

Power Analysis data courtesy of Strava

Strava sauce extension 

Mathieu Van der Poel

Matteo Jorgenson

Oier Lazkano

Luca Mozzato

Tadej Pogačar

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"Otherwise, I would have already stopped," cries Bardet after Liège: "Frame photo with Pogacar and Van der Poel for son"

Romain Bardet has not had the easiest of years, so the joy, relief, and emotion were palpable when the Frenchman of DSM-Firmenich surprised PostNL on Sunday with a second-place finish in Liège-Bastogne-Liège . It marked his best performance ever in a Monument, at a time when success didn't always seem assured.

Bardet completed the final stage of the Tour of the Alps on Friday, where he secured fifth place in the general classification. His strong showing in Liège once again underscored that his form heading into the Giro d'Italia is excellent. This is a significant boost, particularly since his last victory was in 2022, during the final classification of the Tour of the Alps. In the two seasons since then, notable successes have been few and far between.

In the photo with Pogacar and Van der Poel

It is also why Bardet celebrated his second place behind the untouchable Tadej Pogacar as a victory. "I was thinking about 2018 in the final, yes. In this race, I got frustrated too often by missing good opportunities," he said in the flash interview regarding the year when a win might have been possible in Liège. Bob Jungels, however, played it smarter at the time.

"This time, after the decisive attack on La Redoute, we had to be present at that second fight and eliminate as many rivals as possible," analyzed the French climber. "I had goosebumps on Roche-aux-Faucons because it's a climb I really like. I knew it would be important because I have seen in the past that we could take advantage at this point. At that point, five seconds can be enough; you just don't have to mentally collapse."

Bardet didn't. On the contrary: the chasing group almost seemed to come back on several occasions, but the huddle and standstill helped Bardet secure second spot. "It was to be expected that Pogacar would attack on La Redoute, and we saw how strong he was. I knew at that moment that I was going to fight for the podium. I always believed it was possible; otherwise, I would have stopped already. If I continue, it is simply because I have never felt so strong on the bike. But my competitors are even stronger. If I am on the podium between Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, it will at least make for a beautiful photo that I can frame for my son."

Bardet, like Pogacar, heads to the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France

In short, emotional words flowed during the interview immediately after the race in Wallonia. After the podium ceremony, the amiable Frenchman, known for his affable demeanor on and off the racecourse, returned to the cycling newsroom, including IDLProCycling.com . "I indeed felt really strong," he stressed. "But when Tadej went on the Redoute, there was no way to follow him. I wasn't quite positioned well on that climb, but when I looked ahead, I saw he was flying. I knew then that we were fighting for places of honor.

"There was a good chance I was going to get caught in the closing stages," Bardet concluded. "The headwind made it very difficult. But with several teams having multiple riders represented, it became a stop-and-go affair, which may have played to my advantage. I simply wanted to fully focus on my own race and rode as hard as I could on my own. I'm extremely happy that it paid off.

According to Bardet, La Doyenne had not necessarily been a priority or main goal, but it is one of his favorite one-day races. "It's not that I specifically prepared for it, but rather that it was part of a larger training and racing block, which will now continue with the Giro d'Italia. The opportunity to participate in Liège was there, so I seized it. I felt very strong already during the preseason, so I think all in all, I can consider this year a successful one so far, with this serving as a sort of icing on the cake." Like the phenom Pogacar, Bardet is aiming for the well-known double, with the Tour de France also on his agenda after the Giro.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège : «Le meilleur résultat possible», dit Mathieu Van der Poel

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Troisième sur la Doyenne des classiques, le cycliste néerlandais n’exprimait pas de regret, alors même qu’il a été fortement ralenti par une chute.

Mathieu van der Poel a jugé que sa troisième place était «le meilleur résultat» qu'il pouvait «espérer» dimanche à Liège-Bastogne-Liège où le Néerlandais estime qu'il n'y avait rien à faire contre un Tadej Pogacar aussi impressionnant.

«C'est un super résultat. Je suis réaliste. Lorsque Pogacar est dans un bon jour, je ne peux pas le suivre, même avec mes meilleures jambes. Il était impressionnant encore aujourd'hui. Il n'y a pas de honte à avoir, chacun ces courses» , a commenté le Néerlandais, vainqueur du Tour des Flandres et de Paris-Roubaix cette année. «Ma saison de classiques était déjà réussie. Il y a des meilleurs grimpeurs que moi, ça ne veut pas dire que je ne gagnerai jamais cette course. Mais ça restera toujours une mission très compliquée» , a ajouté le champion du monde, plus lourd que les purs grimpeurs.

J'ai dû fournir de gros efforts pour revenir. J'étais content de recoller mais les jambes tiraient déjà un peu. Mathieu van der Poel

Interrogé sur la possibilité de changer sa préparation pour cibler spécifiquement la Doyenne, quitte à sacrifier les autres classiques, il a répondu que ce ne serait pas pour tout de suite. «C'est une option mais je me concentre d'abord sur les courses qui me conviennent le mieux, le Tour des Flandres et Roubaix. Tout changer pour avoir une chance de gagner Liège, ce ne sera pas pour les années qui viennent» , a-t-il dit. Dimanche, il a été ralenti par une chute devant lui qui l'a obligé à fournir un gros effort. «J'étais à l'arrière du peloton car j'étais en train de me débarrasser de mes jambières et de vêtements. C'est alors que la route a été bloquée par la chute. J'ai dû fournir de gros efforts pour revenir. J'étais content de recoller mais les jambes tiraient déjà un peu.»

Place aux JO de Paris désormais

Van der Poel, qui dit avoir «peut-être sous-estimé la décompression après Roubaix» , était ravi de partir désormais en vacances, à Dubaï. Il réfléchira ensuite à la suite de sa saison et notamment quels seront ses plans pour les Jeux Olympiques de Paris où il pourrait cumuler VTT et route, même si ça ne semble pas être la tendance. «J'aime toujours le VTT mais je n'ai pas forcément envie de courir deux lièvres à la fois et de tout perdre. On verra, je ne sais pas encore» , a-t-il indiqué, laissant entendre qu'il pourrait se concentrer sur la route à Paris.

• Liège-Bastogne-Liège : Pogacar supérieur, Bardet héroïque, une chute malvenue... Nos tops et nos flops
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'Even with my best shape, it would be difficult to follow Tadej' - Van der Poel on Liège podium

'I'm happy because I didn't think I would get a podium spot until about 5km to go' says World Champion caught behind a mid-race crash

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) capped off a successful spring campaign with victories at E3 Classics, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix but said that a third place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège was the best he could do against a rider like Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

"I'm realistic enough. I know that if Pogačar has a good day, I cannot follow him, not even with my best legs, which is normal," Van der Poel said in a post-race interview with Cycling Pro Net .

"We also know that he can have a bad day, or at least I hope he can have a bad day. He was impressive again today, and I think my Classics season was more than successful. I'm really happy to end up on the podium here today."

Van der Poel came into his Spring Classics off the back of winning a sixth cyclocross world title in Tabor in February. 

Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Tadej Pogačar crushes the field on La Redoute to take solo sixth Monument victory 'I was riding for Urška's mother today' - Tadej Pogačar's Liège win settles two years of pain As it happened: Tadej Pogačar dominates at Liège-Bastogne-Liège  

Asked if peaking for a more than six-week period might have affected his performance at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Van der Poel said that while he understands it is difficult to combine the cobbled Classics with the Ardennes Classics, he preferred to remain realistic about his performance compared to Pogačar on such a challenging route.

"It is possible. I may have underestimated the decompression after the Ronde and Roubaix . The main thing is that I'm already training and peaking from cyclocross and that makes it a long period to go to Liège," Van der Poel said.

"Like I said, even with my best shape, it would be difficult to follow Tadej. It's also not a shame; everyone has his races, and I did what I had to do in mine."

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Pogačar won his sixth career Monument after attacking up the La Redoute and soloing 34km to the finish line, taking the win by 1:39 ahead of runner-up Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL). 

Van der Poel finished third place at 2:02 back, a result that surprised even himself after he was caught behind a small crash that held up a portion of the peloton on a steep climb with about 100km to go. 

He said the effort he put forth in the chase was difficult, and he didn't think they would make it back to the front of the race.

"I'm happy because I didn't think I would get a podium spot until about 5km to go, so I think everyone saw that this was the highest possible [result] for me today," Van der Poel said, offering an explanation about how he ended up behind the crash.

"It was a big, big effort. I was just going back to get my leg warmers and gloves. And then a crash happened. Then, the road was blocked. I thought we were never going to see the front race again, and I was happy that after a long pursuit, we came back, but I already felt that my legs were tired a bit. 

"But even with the legs of Ronde and Roubaix, I don't think I could have followed Pogačar."

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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews , overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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