On the podium of the E3 Grand Prix this Friday, Mathieu Van der Poel had the right, like every winner before him, to pose with his enormous glass of beer, the brown color of which clashed wonderfully with his rainbow jersey . But, once the ceremony was over, the Dutchman did not show off his downhill qualities, preferring to abandon his astonishing trophy to a spectator at the height of ecstasy. No distraction for the world champion, who has set himself the mission, at the start of spring, to raid the Flandriennes. At Ghent-Wevelgem, where he will start as the big favorite this Sunday, he intends to strengthen his position a little more on the competition.
If the Alpecin-Deceuninck ace has never won the Belgian classic, it is above all because he has not competed in it since 2020. But he ticks all the boxes to shine in this fight through West Flanders, 252km long, ideal for sprinter-punchers, where he can just as easily adjust a final package as race alone up one of the climbs of the Kemmelberg. And since he feels, by his own admission, “better than I expected” so early in the season, and is recovering well, only a racing circumstance could prevent him from going for the win.
A thunderous return to school
Van der Poel has earned the right to move forward with confidence, as he has evolved in a galaxy of his own in recent months. This winter, in cyclo-cross, he won fourteen of the fifteen races he competed in, including the Worlds. In Milan San-Remo, his return road race, he was the first to stick to Tadej Pogacar in the Poggio, before launching the victorious sprint of his teammate Jasper Philipsen. At GP E3, his attacks in the Paterberg were so powerful that he won with a 1′30″ lead over Jasper Stuyven.
Mathieu van der Poel’s 𝒓𝒆́𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍! 🙌 The Dutchman had a perfect race and won the E3 Saxo Classic for the first time in his career. Stuyven and van Aert complete the podium pic.twitter.com/O1CbQ8N2C7
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) March 22, 2024
“I’m not even disappointed,” said Grégory Rast, director of Trek-Segafredo, and therefore of Stuyven, after this result. Mathieu ran on a whole new level. This is the reality, this has never been our race. » In the shadow of his omnipotent rival, Wout van Aert can also only bide his time. At E3, the Belgian fell as the eventual winner attacked, then launched into a futile chase. If his legs are good and he should be Van der Poel’s main competitor on the upcoming monuments, he does not give off the same impression of ease on the climbs.
“Wout unfortunately fell in the Paterberg, which was a shame for the battle, but I can really be satisfied with my feelings of the day,” the Dutchman rightly underlined, serene after the race. I knew he was at the limit and that he was going to do everything to get back. I pushed into the Karnemelkbeekstraat and I think it cracked a bit. I’m really happy, because E3 wasn’t in my list of victories yet. » The game will perhaps be a little less easy at Ghent-Wevelgem, where the smoother course will offer fewer attacking opportunities.
The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the sights
Especially since the Dutchman will be watched by everyone and will have the heavy responsibility of plugging most of the holes himself. If he will not have to manage the title holder Christophe Laporte, still ill and therefore withdrawn, he will have to deal with the rockets Mads Pedersen, Tim Merlier, Olav Kooij or Biniam Girmay, in addition to Van Aert. Unless he surprises everyone by giving Philipsen a new gift, like on the Primavera…
Whatever his final choice, the Dutchman has the perfect opportunity, this weekend, to get in shape before Paris-Roubaix, on April 7, and the Tour of Flanders, next Sunday, where his team will be betting this time everything about him. In the absence of Tadej Pogacar, the 29-year-old rider will have an avenue for a third victory in the Ronde, which would make him the most successful rider in the history of the event, the equal of Tom Boonen or Johan Museeuw, to name a few. For these kinds of victories, Van der Poel will always be thirsty.
