Rivals quake as Mathieu van der Poel hopes Strade Bianche 'is just the start' this spring
The Dutchman's repeated explosive attacks towards the Piazza del Campo went unanswered by the world's best riders
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

After a week where his rockets have blown up upon landing and Tesla's market cap slides in the wrong direction, Elon Musk may want to give Mathieu van der Poel a call, the Dutchman successfully commencing liftoff and his stock continuing to rise - and it's anyone's guess how much higher it can go - after the spectacular fashion in which he took victory at Strade Bianche.
"I felt really good today," Van der Poel said, his post-race comments much more understated than his bike racing.
"On the last gravel section (Le Tolfe) I attacked and took Alaphilippe and Bernal with me. I felt that I still had something left in my legs on the final climb...to top it off like this is insane."
Van der Poel was always going to be the man to beat after that particular trio clipped off and went clear of their rivals, and the Alpecin-Fenix star says Alaphilippe had already admitted his legs were done for the day.
>>> ‘I’ll be there soon’ says Tom Pidcock after impressing once more with top five at Strade Bianche
"I noticed that Alaphilippe was getting a bit tired. He also said that his legs were a bit less and therefore skipped a few turns. Bernal, on the other hand, gave a very strong impression. I hope this is the start of a great spring campaign."
Alaphilippe is in agreement, despite being unaccustomed to getting ridden off someone's wheel. Usually, the world champion is the afflicter.
"I did my best, but Van der Poel was the strongest," Alaphilippe conceded. "I don't regret anything because I didn't do anything wrong. At 20km from the finish, I still attacked…I wasn't feeling that bad.
"I remained focused on the latter sector, but you could already see how strong Van der Poel was. On the final climb you could really see how [well] he was going."
For Wout van Aert, Van der Poel's usual nemesis on both the road and at cyclocross meets, the Belgian is still finding his feet, having made his 2021 road debut at Strade Bianche and not being able to match the Dutchman's accelerations, eventually leading the group behind over the line to take fourth place.
"I was there, but I wasn't good enough in the final," Van Aert said. "When Alaphilippe accelerated, I ran into difficulties. Then I already knew it wouldn't be my day.
"That [extra] gear is not there yet. I would not be the first, but I will still take [the race for] fourth. So I took the maximum out of it.
"In this race the strongest always wins and that was Mathieu today. His acceleration on that last stretch said enough."
It's now up to this talented array of rivals to come up with an answer to Van der Poel, with even bigger one-day prizes still to come this spring. Regardless of whether they do or not, fans will likely still be left speechless.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
-
-
MADE Bike Show sells out registration in record time
A new handmade bike show is coming to Portland, Oregon this fall with 145 builders and brands registered to show off their craft
By Clara Beard • Published
-
Skip the gatorade, nonalcoholic beer may be as good as, or even better than, sports drinks
Dry January may be over but you may want to keep stocking those nonalcoholic beers — for fitness sake.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
‘Cyclo-cross can’t exist with just three riders’ - Sven Nys on CX appearance fee disparity
Some CX riders reportedly forced to race for free due to large appearance fees handed to Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Sven Nys says Tom Pidcock skipping cyclo-cross World title defence ‘makes sense’
‘An effort to win in Hoogerheide will cost so much’ says Belgian cyclocross legend on a course that favours Pidcock's rivals
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
In celebration of Peter Sagan, cycling's rock and roll frontman
As the three-time world champion is set to call time on his career in the WorldTour at the end of 2023, we thought we would take a look back at the glory days
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel deserve big CX appearance fees, says British champ
British national champion says Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel receive high appearance fees for a reason
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Wout van Aert wins round 12 of the Men's Cyclocross World Cup in the Zonhoven sandpit
The early stages suggested it was going to be a battle between the top four, but Van Aert went clear and never looked back
By Jack Elton-Walters • Published
-
Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse win X20 Trofee Herentals cyclo-cross
It's a Dutch golden day out in Belgium as the Alpecin pair win
By Adam Becket • Published
-
From the World Championships to Paris-Roubaix: Cycling Weekly's wins of 2022
It is hard to look past Annemiek van Vleuten, but we tried, so here is the best win of the year, plus nine more
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Wout van Aert comes out on top once more in battle of cyclocross ‘big three’ at Superprestige Diegem
Puck Pieterse victorious in women’s race in Diegem, Belgium
By Tom Thewlis • Published