• Saturday April 13, 2024 at 3:30 PM
Interview After victories in the E3 Saxo Classic, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu van der Poel is also the absolute top favorite to win in the Amstel Gold Race. Yet Michael Boogerd is not entirely convinced whether the world champion can take out the demolition hammer once more. “The question is how motivated and how sharp he still is following everything he has already won,” the winner of the 1999 edition thinks out loud at WielerFlits. But that’s regarding the only reason for Boogie, who otherwise lacks superlatives.
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Boogerd stood on the podium of the Limburg hill classic no fewer than seven times during his career. The former two-time Dutch champion knows the course like the back of his hand and is currently a co-commentator at Eurosport. Born Hagenees (51) knows better than anyone how to estimate the chances of MVDP in the Amstel Gold Race.
The poster for the upcoming AGR was beautiful: Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel. To what extent has this course been decapitated?
“Of course it is an added value if Van Aert and Evenepoel are in good shape at the start. Although I must also say that Evenepoel may not immediately get a tailor-made course here. But I think we have seen two beautiful classics in recent weeks, and it may well have been Van Aert in Flanders and Roubaix. But Mathieu has made things pale there. He wrote history without another star at the start. I therefore think that we will also see a fantastic race on Sunday.”
Many predict an easy victory for Van der Poel. But is that as simple as everyone makes it out to be?
“No of course not. Certainly not because there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders, although I don’t really think Mathieu is having that much trouble with that now. Look, in my time it was almost impossible to be good in the Amstel and Liège-Bastogne-Liège following Milan-San Remo, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Only at that time there were very few riders with Mathieu’s caliber. He should be able to maintain that level in the next two races.
Van der Poel won once more in Roubaix – photo: Cor Vos
He has only competed in a few competitions to date. We had already completed a whole campaign with stage races and hassle and who knows what. Van der Poel does not have that. On the other hand, he has ridden all his races at the cutting edge. Mentally that always takes energy. If you look purely at what he has already shown, it wouldn’t be surprising if things slow down a bit. And it depends on how motivated and sharp he is. Maybe we won’t see him in the Amstel at all. Not because he is bad, but just because he thinks it’s fine.”
In which scenario can Mathieu be beaten by the rest in normal form on Sunday?
“That is a very difficult one. I can say the pre-final, but Mathieu himself is also good at completely controlling the course early on. Although the Amstel may be a bit difficult for that. The question is also whether Alpecin-Deceuninck as a team is as strong as in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. This was certainly the case in the Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday. He can build on that. If Mathieu is as fit once more as he was in Flanders and Roubaix, it will be very difficult to beat him on Sunday. Then I can’t think of a scenario where he can’t win. Others should certainly not adjust their course to him.”
How different is this edition for him compared to 2019 (win as outsider) and 2022 (fourth as top favorite)?
“He now already has two monuments in his pocket. So he drives completely without pressure. He might also have won in 2022. Although you might also see that he was already missing the real freshness. Michał Kwiatkowski and Benoît Cosnefroy took advantage of this, because Mathieu had to do almost everything alone behind them. If they keep attacking, it will be difficult to get everything back. Now that would also be a way to beat him. But now that will be a problem for him, I suspect. He has already won the Amstel once and has already won Flanders and Roubaix. That can only speak to his advantage.”
After a memorable final, Van der Poel immediately won his first Gold Race in 2019 – photo: Cor Vos
Mathieu won the E3, De Ronde and Roubaix following a long solo, of regarding 50 kilometers. Is that also possible in the Amstel?
“That’s a bit more difficult, I think. Fifty kilometers from the finish, the peloton in the Amstel is often still quite large. Then it is difficult to drive away alone. But what Tadej Pogačar did last year on the Keutenberg, or near the Eyserbosweg… If Mathieu is very good, he can also squeeze out a number there. But I can hardly imagine that. Such a long solo. It shouldn’t get any crazier. Although I would like it! But this man can no longer be explained, can he?
It would also be unprecedented: winning Flanders, Roubaix and the Amstel in one spring. How unique is the athlete Mathieu van der Poel?
“That’s what I meant. I don’t know how to identify him. Everything he does… This is very strange to me to say, but I think this is one of the very best cyclists ever. Look, he’s not going to win a big tour. But it is also the way he races that makes it so special. I’ve actually never seen that, not even among young people. And not in the golden age of Jan Raas and Hennie Kuiper. Those were really great. But I think he is even more special.”
Is he the best Dutch one-day driver ever?
“Yes, well… Kuiper was also very good. It was the most versatile. Hennie has also stood on the podium of the Tour de France twice. So I find that difficult, also because he won the Tour of Lombardy and came second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But Van der Poel has won more Monuments. In principle, Mathieu is the best one-day rider, yes.”
Boogerd himself defeated Lance Armstrong in a sprint-a-deux in 1999 – photo: Cor Vos
The devil’s advocate says: ‘nice, this spring from Van der Poel. But there aren’t many favorites here’. Does that detract from his performance?
“No. No no. No. I won’t go along with that. Mathieu was already decisive in the race in Milan-San Remo. He is there too late for Pogačar’s attack, but in his first race he makes it there in one go. He then continues to lead the way for Jasper Philipsen. In the E3 Saxo Classic he played with Van Aert. He saw him coming back at a certain point and I think he thought: ‘let me speed up once more now’. The rest is history.
Many people from Gent-Wevelgem say that Mathieu did not drive smartly there. But I had the feeling he was just training there a bit. He took his responsibility by closing all the gaps and then continued racing with Mads Pedersen. That’s no ordinary Smurf either, of course. Mathieu goes once morest all cycling laws there, so it is logical that you will be beaten there.
Then indeed the falls follow. But if you look at the previous races, I don’t believe that a Van Aert would have sat on Mathieu’s wheel in one go in the Tour of Flanders. Moreover, Van der Poel might not do anything regarding that fall. It wasn’t all fun, but Mathieu did what he had to do: be good at this time of year. I can’t say more regarding that. Van der Poel drives purely on feeling and with his heart. I think the fact that a few are not included goes way too far to detract from his performance. He beat them all last year too, didn’t he? He also gave everything there, while others adjusted their course accordingly.”
Van der Poel drove away from everything and everyone in the E3 Saxo Classic – photo: Cor Vos
Now Pogačar will ride in Liège next week, of course. Can Mathieu handle him there?
“Yes, that might be possible. But… then it will be completely crazy if he wins it this year. I’m allowed! But we also saw Pogačar ride in Strade Bianche, in the Tour of Catalonia. This will not suddenly decrease, with the Giro d’Italia approaching. I do not believe that. But hey, if he doesn’t get Mathieu off… Then we’ll sprint and it might go either way. But normally things will slow down a bit for Van der Poel at some point.
On the other hand, I also read that Tom Boonen said that Mathieu will get a unique opportunity in Liège this year. I go quite far with that. He now sees everything as a bonus. That’s a good mindset. The advantage for me is that he still has the same form of Flanders and Roubaix. If that is the case, then it might indeed be that he can also win Liège this year, yes.”
Finally: if you have to give a name other than Mathieu van der Poel for the Amstel Gold Race. Who then?
“Tom Pidcock. It has already been second and third. He likes coming here. His spring may not have been quite what he expected, but I still thought he was quite good in Paris-Roubaix. He will be given a course in the Amstel that is much better suited to his needs. I think Pidcock still has something to put right here. No one should underestimate that for Sunday.”
Can Van der Poel follow Pogacar once more next week in Liège? – photo: Cor Vos
