Mathieu van der Poel may have narrowly missed out on a second Tour of Flanders title, as Kasper Asgreen took an upset sprint victory against the reigning champion, but Van der Poel’s ride still left many cycling fans in awe.
The superstar rider has shared his power data on Strava after his formidable ride on Sunday (March 4), revealing how deep he had to go before his legs failed him in the sprint.
Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) did also share his Monument-winning ride on Strava, but didn’t reveal his power data as he took the biggest win of his career.
Alpecin-Fenix rider Van der Poel looked to be untouchable in the closing kilometres of the 2021 Tour of Flanders, as he was able to join an elite trio at the front of the race alongside Asgreen and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), before his huge attack on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.
The 26-year-old averaged 41.9km/h for the six hours of racing in Belgium, while Asgreen averaged 42km/h, which is a staggering speed over the relentless climbs and tight winding roads of Flanders.
But the biggest shock was Van der Poel’s power, as he averaged an enormous 328 watts average weighted power (4.3w/kg) for the duration of the race, including a massive 1,470w effort in the final sprint for the line.
Van der Poel’s heart-rate held at 138 beats per minute, with a maximum of 189bpm.
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Stava KoMs also fell during this year’s Flanders, as Van der Poel topped the leaderboard on a handful of segments.
By far the most impressive was Van der Poel’s ride on the ‘Oude Kwaremont Wall’ segment (2.79km at 3.5 per cent), as he averaged 483w (6.44w/kg) for the climb, topping the leaderboard with a time of 5-13, tied with Asgreen on the same time.
Van der Poel also took the KoM on the ‘Oude Kwaremont + Paterberg’ segment, which covers the two iconic climbs over 5.39km. He averaged 420w for 8-50, to top the leaderboard, once again tied with Asgreen.
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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.
