When Mathieu van der Poel is at the start of a cycling race, his name is almost always mentioned among the favourites. That is no different with the Giro d’Italia. Father Adrie van der Poel is a bit disappointed by that, because it is not all that obvious.
Van der Poel, often called an all-rounder on a bicycle, is seen as a major contender for the first stage and therefore also the pink leader’s jersey. While his name also falls with contenders for the first time trial, a few other beautiful stages and even the overall victory in the points classification.
“That makes the press again”, says Van der Poel senior when he starts about ‘candidate Mathieu’. He will continue on the first stage, which will start on Friday afternoon in Hungary. “No one has watched the finish and yet they are calling Mathieu the favourite. Where do you get that info from then? Throw rap in the trash if you haven’t seen the arrival yourself. A profile alone is of no use.”
The Alpecin-Fenix rider has explored the end of the first stage and has already indicated that it will be very difficult to release top sprinters such as Caleb Ewan and Arnaud Démare. “They start with 180. Not that many can win, but there are plenty of contenders. Especially if it turns out afterwards that the arrival is less difficult than expected. Perhaps the group of favorites will go to ten. And then you all still depend on how the race goes.”
“He has to adjust his racing style a bit.”
The question is also how the three weeks of the Tour of Italy will go for Van der Poel. It is expected that, in view of the very tough third week and the Tour de France that is yet to come, he will not finish the Giro. However, his father thinks it shouldn’t be a problem. “It has to be very good. He doesn’t have to ride for a classification, so he can take enough rest days. He has to adjust his racing style a bit. Don’t do long breakaways, or just once. But he will have to learn that. He is starting to realize more and more that it is fun and nice, but that it is about winning races.”
Father Van der Poel will follow his son’s performance via TV in the coming weeks. He has high hopes for a new piece of art by Mathieu. “You never know, but he has the capabilities to win a stage. But it is not easy to win a race. There are opportunities, but everything has to go well. Even for a type of rider like Mathieu. , it is sometimes quite difficult.”
“I do have nice memories of the Giro.”
The former pro knows what he is talking about. In 1993 he rode the Giro d’Italia himself. “I do have nice memories of it, we rode very well as a team. We won four stages, had the pink jersey for a few days, won the points classification. That was a very successful Giro for the team”, Van der Poel looks back. He can only hope that the last Dutch yellow jersey wearer after May 29 will also have fond memories of this Grand Tour.
ALSO READ: Mathieu van der Poel aims for the pink jersey in the Tour of Italy
Waiting for privacy settings…