Mathieu Van der Poel is the notable absentee at the end of this season. First the MTB World Championships, then pneumonia, and finally the harsh courses of the World Championships and European Championships forced him to retire early. And he was greatly missed, perhaps even more so, at the Gravel World Championships. VdP would have run at home and as the defending champion.
Some time ago, during a live broadcast on Eurosport, Moreno Moser He had called him in to analyze his running style. We revisited this concept with him, to delve deeper into the technical and tactical aspects that make the ace of the Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Moreno, let's analyze Van der Poel's racing style: mistakes and strengths.
Indeed I don't think Van der Poel makes any mistakes. In fact, I think he is one of the riders who best optimizes his characteristics and his engine.
Explain yourself better…
In the sense that it seems clear to me that his engine is a little more “delicate” than that of Pogacar, for example, who goes strong every day and recovers whenever he needs to be in shape. Van der Poel gives me the impression of having a more fragile engine: if he overdoes it, it blows up. In stage races, he has one good day, but not two in a row. And he really struggles on the climbs. He pays dearly for those extra watts, it really shows.
Structural issue or just weight?
Characteristics. He'd like to, but he often wastes his time and then blows up. If you look closely, even on days when he breaks away, he always drops off if there are long climbs or if he's been pushing for a while. He rarely manages to have a great finish after an intense day. Mathieu is the classic example of a glycolytic rider: he doesn't have the same aerobic capacity as Pogacar or the climbers, but It has a lot of intensity and lots of white fibers. When the availability of “valuable” sugars decreases, its efficiency drops sharply.
You mentioned climbs: what are the limit ones for Van der Poel?
Those up to 10 minutes. Beyond that, you don't see it anymore. But if your opponents are Pogacar or Vingegaard, even less. We're obviously talking about real climbs.
You say that if you push or waste all day, you won't have great finishes. However, we've seen Flanders or Roubaix won with impressive strength right at the end. And those are long races...
On a dry day, yes, it has no problems. When he's fit, he can do whatever he wants. I was referring to stage races: it's different there. On dry days, however, he manages to make the most of the carbohydrate load he starts with. In stage races, he has a recovery deficit.
Since we're talking about a "massive" rider, how important is it for him today to be able to ingest even 120-130 grams of carbohydrates per hour, compared to perhaps Pogacar?
For him, it's a huge deal. It means a lot, he earns more from it than a climber like Tadej (who isn't just a climber). With carbohydrates, your muscles are able to perform high-quality work, because the fuel they put in is of high quality. And with all those white fibers he has… But be careful: we're talking about minimal differences, but they are what determine one type of rider or another.
From the perspective of a former rider, Moreno, how do you assess his attacks? He's occasionally made mistakes, especially at the 2022 Giro. He was always in the breakaway, but in the end, he only won one stage. The first one, by the way...
What you say is true: He might be more cautious at times, but that's his way of running. It's clear that spending so much every day always pays off in the final stages. Especially if there's a small climb, as often happens at Tour of ItalyBut overall, when he attacks, he's a killer, even on climbs. I'm talking about short ones, as I said before.
Clear…
Per esempio Wout van aert He's heavier than him, but he's stronger on the climbs. Nevertheless, Van der Poel has something extra. Van Aert is more of a hybrid, but when he has to win, Mathieu always has that extra something. At the end of the season, he didn't make any mistakes: he won the Milan-Sanremo , Roubaix, he won stages and the yellow jersey at Tour de France.
Perfect season, but with few days of racing (41). What do you think?
Maybe he knew the World Championships were too tough and focused on mountain biking. After that he did the Renewi Tour And then he got pneumonia, which stopped him. I agree with the dig he recently made: "I'm stopping because I had pneumonia and I need to recover, but I don't know where I could have found the motivation." In fact, in the second half of the season, what races were there for someone like him? "Greg" (Luca Gregorio of Eurosport, ed.) and I have been saying it for a long time: how is it possible that the World Championships and European Championships are so tough as to exclude riders like Van der Poel, Pedersen, and Van Aert a priori?
So far, we've been looking for any limitations Van der Poel might have. Is there anything you particularly like about him?
I like that, when he is well, he is not afraid and does not feel awe towards Pogacar. He's going head-to-head. Think about it: the only rider who's beaten him on the road this year was Van der Poel. I like that he can be so incisive and decisive.
And from a technical point of view?
The thing that impresses me most is how easy it is to ride. Anyone who's ridden a bike understands it and notices it immediately. Not even Pogacar has that easeHe knows how to move in a group, he knows how to position himself, he knows how to tackle climbs ahead. In this, Van der Poel is truly unique.
