Mathieu van der Poel: ‘I was not great today’ | cycling

On the steep Keutenberg, when the decision was made with Tiesj Benoot’s attack, Van der Poel seemed to have a serious problem. “I set my own pace and could still join the group. But it went really fast there,” said the Dutchman from Alpecin-Fenix ​​after the game. „In the end I was where I had to be in the final, but in such a match you really have to be super, especially when you are in that leading group and have to react to every failure. And I wasn’t today. I was good, but even if you’re super, a race like this is very hard to win,” he said honestly The newspapaer†

Nevertheless, Van der Poel was all in all satisfied with his fourth place. “I look back on this day okay. I am satisfied. It was an extremely difficult match, above all”, the Dutchman puffs after. “Actually, it was very difficult at 150 kilometers from the finish. Our team did an excellent job all day, they controlled the break as it should.”

Although according to Mate could have been a little better: „It would have been fantastic if I would have had a teammate in that group of eleven at the end, but when you see that there are so few riders left, that is of course no shame. I can only be satisfied with how she guided me everywhere today.” Van der Poel will also be at the start in Paris-Roubaix next Sunday to try for the first time the Hell of the North to put on his record.