Van Poppel took third overall on a segment called ‘Gank Kart Circuit,’ which suggests the 25-year-old may have flicked on his Garmin device while go-karting near the city of Genk in Belgium.
While Van Poppel does have a huge engine, 78km/h seems a touch too high even for someone of his sprinting prowess, while 129km/h on the flat is just superhuman.
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We’ve seen plenty of imaginative uses for Strava, but go-karting would be a new one.
He has received 188 Kudos on the ride, which has not been flagged.
The Dutchman is currently between goals after he abandoned his last race, the Tour of California, on the road to Mount Baldy on stage six.
His next race will be the Tour of Norway, which starts on May 28.
Victory has eluded Van Poppel so far in the 2019 season, his best results being podium places in the Tour Down Under and the Vuelta a Andalucia.
He has had a mixed career up to this point, starting with Rabobank Continental Team back in 2012 before going on to ride for Trek-Segafredo and Team Sky.
Van Poppel joined Jumbo-Visma at the start of 2018 from the British WorldTour team, where is no second in line behind compatriot Dylan Groenewegen.
His career highlights include a stage victory at the 2015 Tour de France and a stage of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2016.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
