Mathieu van der Poel immediately won the Namur World Cup upon his return, but the way he presented it afterwards was also striking. Not only the course of the race, but especially the interview afterwards resulted in discussion. Laurens ten Dam was on site at the Citadel and reflected in his podcast on how “under control” it all really was.
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No walk to victory
Ten Dam saw up close that Namur was not an obvious victory for the world champion. “It was just a beautiful race to see,” he says in Live Slow Ride Fast.
While Van der Poel often set the course early on last season, things remained exciting in Namur for a long time. Thibau Nys and co held out and Van der Poel had to wait until the final lap to make the difference.
Yet Van der Poel emphasized afterwards that he had never really worried. Ten Dam noticed this immediately. “But he had it under control,” said the ex-rider, who at the same time qualifies what that sounded like.
“He acted a bit tough”
According to Ten Dam, Van der Poel appeared remarkably confident in his reaction after the finish. “He even acted a little tough in the interview,” he notes. Van der Poel himself indicated that he consciously waited.
“I had the feeling that I had it under control. I made a few mistakes in the wheel, sometimes it is better to be in the lead. But I wanted to be a bit conservative and I also said that I would be a little less,” Ten Dam quotes the world champion. “And then that last round, bam!”
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