OUDENAARDE (Belgium) – Those legs are spinning like a charm. The heels are still sky high and the quadriceps are digging hard into the pedals. Nothing to say, Mathieu van der Poel as well as being powerful it is also elegant. Indeed, impressive, to quote Philippe Gilbert, who is watching VdP near us behind the finish line. Meanwhile, Gilbert is always praising Mozzato.
The king of the Tour of Flanders 2017 observes with admiration and comments: "Compared to me, he has more time to enjoy this feat. He took 4'50" to complete the final Kwaremont (Gilbert had his cell phone in hand and was recording the times, ed.), an excellent time considering the rain and the headwind."
Everything according to script
Yet the rider of the Alpecin-Deceuninck He doesn't quite think like Gilbert when it comes to fine thoughts and triumphal rides.
«Today was just survival – said the world champion – for me it was the toughest Flanders, with these weather conditions. I ran the last 20 kilometers with my eyes closed. I was so exhausted that I didn't think much. I have to realize what happened."
And in fact, VdP seemed to struggle towards the end. It showed on the Paterberg. And when the lead began to decline and with 5-6 kilometers to go, Mathieu swallowed a gel, Gilbert added: "He's already thinking about Roubaix."
VdP also suffers
But was this victory really so easy? Apparently, yes, everything went according to plan. Even if the person concerned actually said otherwise.
They attacked him, it's true, but not very well to tell the truth, while His Alpecin-Deceuninck team moved with great clarity. He rode an aggressive race.
When the blocks started, they made waves. They sent one man forward and forced the others to follow. A good message to those who thought they'd run back. Then Gianni Veermersh was the perfect stopper to get Pedersen going.
«The team was special today – continued Van der Poel – they always put me in the best conditions and always allowed me to stay calm. I told him to hold on until the Koppenberg, then I would take care of it, Although I admit that after the second pass on the Qwaremont I no longer had a great feeling as myself. In fact, right after the Koppenberg I didn't expect to find myself alone. That gel is because I needed sugar. Now I'm just thinking about recovering.».
Perhaps in that moment the world champion made the difference also for those small technical details that count more and more today. He chose the setup of his bike well Canyon. Many had the old 39, Pedersen the 43, and he instead chose the 40. We are talking, as you may have understood, about the small front chainring.
The rest is a ride, tiring, but superb, which definitively places him among the mega heroes of this sport.
The Scream of Mozzato
Taking away the Martian, there was also a fair bit of Italy. Bettiol he made us hope for a second place for a long time, and behind him there was also, quietly, Luca Mozzato.
«Second in the Tour of Flanders is a dream. Everything is more beautiful here." It may be the joy, but after Van der Poel, Mozzato seemed the freshest. His was a sprint with full legs. At least that's what it seemed like to us.
«No way – explains the athlete of the Arkea-B&B Hotels It was a classic sprint of the dead. I benefited from the fact that I was going fast in the final two kilometers and had a good position. At the end the wind was even a bit against me and so I decided to wait until the last minute to go out. At the last 100 meters, not before. And I skipped the others at 40 meters."
Luca's bet
Mozzato did it The typical sprinter's race at the Tour of Flanders. Hidden, on the cheap (in theory), careful... If the others tried to get ahead of Van der Poel, he, on the contrary, tried to keep him there in sight as much as possible.
You can see, as he always told us, that he feels at ease up here, that he knows how to move on stones, walls and little streets.
«The point – Luca explains very clearly – is that here everyone wanted to be in front and everyone wanted to get ahead of Van der Poel. I made a sort of bet: if everyone wants to get ahead, some people won't be happy with a breakaway. And so I raced: taking advantage of the others. But the problem was that at the first Qwaremont, precisely because everyone wanted to be in front, I braked at the wrong moment and fell behind."
Mozzato said he found himself chasing for almost 40 kilometers. He was always at the back of the group, but he also admitted that he was lucky (though he couldn't have done otherwise at that point) to find someone who closed the gap for him.
«And this – continues the Venetian – I believe made the difference. In the last hour of the race I had more energy than the others. The more I passed the walls, the better I felt."
Between podium and reality
A second place finish in a Monument classic means a lot. On the bus, the crew seemed almost happier than him. Impossible. Even after a couple of hours, Luca reiterated his joy.
Joy but also awareness, that of an athlete who knows he has talent, but also knows where he belongs.
«This result certainly gives me joy and self-confidence. Now I know that when things go well, I can compete for important places even in a classic monument. But at the same time, all this... it doesn't change the rider I am. To put it simply: if Van der Poel and Pedersen push hard in the Arenberg Forest on Sunday, I won't be able to keep up. I know I'm missing something. But we can work on it."
And as he returns from the podium and gets on the bus, he enjoys the team's embrace. Luca Mozzato is a happy boy tonight. And we are with him.
