‘Magnificent, smart and a blessing for cycling’. This is a selection of the media statements of various national and international newspapers about Mathieu van der Poel’s performance in the Tour of Flanders. The Brabant cyclist managed to beat Tadej Pogacar in the last hundreds of meters, while the Slovenian had the best papers according to the newspapers.
Volkskrant: ‘Winning on experience without experience’
Van der Poel rode the Tour of Flanders for the fourth time. That is not very often, but three times more than his competitor Tadej Pogacar. According to the newspaper, the fact that the Brabant cyclist had slightly more experience was reflected in the final phase. The Slovenian seemed to have the best papers 500 meters before the finish, but lost the poker to a more experienced Van der Poel.
AD: ‘Unprecedented example of bluff poker’
The AD has rarely seen such a final phase. Both riders continued to play poker for a very long time, according to the newspaper and may have even been late. In the end, that didn’t matter to Van der Poel and he won the Tour of Flanders for the second time.
NRC: ‘Pogacar the strongest, Van der Poel the smartest’
NRC calls it a good move that Van der Poel allowed two more pursuers to join. When he started the sprint, his biggest competitor was closed in. De Brabander was then the strongest in the sprint and won his second Tour of Flanders. Pogacar was the strongest rider on Sunday, but Van der Poel the smartest.
Sporza: ‘Van der Poel is a blessing for cycling’
At Sporza, the two cycling commentators, Karl Vannieuwkerke and José De Cauwer, have their say. They are short of superlatives about the cycling duel on Sunday afternoon. They call Van der Poel a blessing for cycling. In addition, it also zooms in on the fact that there are Belgians who would begrudge the Dutch cyclist. But the commentators are clear on that. “You can’t be against him.”
The latest news: ‘Pogacar made the mistake of his life’
The latest news is of course also full of praise for Mathieu van der Poel, but saw his closest competitor Tadej Pogacar make a big mistake by playing too much poker towards the finish line. According to the newspaper, the Slovenian was the best rider for the entire race until 200 meters before the finish. “This may well be the mistake of his life.”
Gazzetta dello Sport: ‘Van der Poel – Pogacar is the duel of the future’
The Italians also saw that it was a great battle between Van der Poel and Pogacar. Gazzatta dello Sport is already looking further and expects the two riders to fight many more duels in the future. According to them, these are the best riders of the moment. “Van der Poel – Pogacar is the duel of the future.”
L’equipe: ‘A masterful duel’
The duel in the Tour of Flanders also receives a lot of attention in the French media. The largest sports newspaper in France calls it a magnificent duel and a shock in the cycling landscape. With the latter, the newspaper refers to a strong Pogacar who did not win once. Something that, according to the French, is unique. That’s why all the compliments to Van der Poel who played the smartest poker.
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