Cycling Weekly

Cycling Weekly, Fitness, Mathieu van der Poel, News, Training - April 10, 2021

What separates the best from the rest?

Winners at WorldTour level are truly exceptional, but what makes them so? Chris Sidwells investigates what sets apart the best cyclists from the merely excellent ones

SIENA, ITALY - MARCH 06: Mathieu Van Der Poel of Netherlands and Team Alpecin-Fenix, Julian Alaphilippe of France and Team Deceuninck - Quick-Step & Egan Arley Bernal Gomez of Colombia and Team INEOS Grenadiers during the Eroica - 15th Strade Bianche 2021, Men's Elite a 184km race from Siena to Siena - Piazza del Campo / Breakaway / #StradeBianche / on March 06, 2021 in Siena, Italy. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

Three hundred and eighty-nine watts for four hours and 45 minutes, rising to an average 439 watts over the final 60km. And he had plenty left for the finish, smashing out 738 watts for a full 60 seconds, and even then enough pop in his long legs to blast out 1,004 watts for 20 seconds […]

Mathieu van der Poel shares his phenomenal power numbers from Tour of Flanders 2021

Mathieu van der Poel has shared his power data from the Tour of Flanders 2021 (Photo by Nico Vereecken / Photo News/ Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel may have narrowly missed out on a second Tour of Flanders victory, as Kasper Asgreen took an upset sprint victory against the reigning champion, but Van der Poel’s ride still left many cycling in awe.

Mathieu van der Poel: ‘I started a good sprint, but immediately felt the legs were rough’

Mathieu van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders 2021 (Photo by DIRK WAEM/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel said he started his sprint well in the final of the Tour of Flanders 2021, but quickly realised he didn’t have the strength to beat Kasper Asgreen.

Mathieu van der Poel says he ‘doesn’t draw any conclusions for the Tour of Flanders’ after struggling in Dwars door Vlaanderen

Mathieu van der Poel rolls into the finish of Dwars door Vlaanderen 2021 (Photo by John Berry/Getty Images )

Mathieu van der Poel says he’s not drawing any conclusions for the Tour of Flanders, after he struggled through Dwars door Vlaanderen this week.

Tim Merlier: 'Mathieu van der Poel came to us and said he was not good, I thought he was joking'

Mathieu van der Poel at Dwars door Vlaanderen 2021 (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel came to Dwars door Vlaanderen 2021 as the defending champion and the rider with the most wins taking part in the race but he looked a shell of his normal self on the roads of Belgium

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What separates the best from the rest?

Mathieu van der Poel shares his phenomenal power numbers from Tour of Flanders 2021

Mathieu van der Poel: ‘I started a good sprint, but immediately felt the legs were rough’

Mathieu van der Poel says he ‘doesn’t draw any conclusions for the Tour of Flanders’ after struggling in Dwars door Vlaanderen

Tim Merlier: 'Mathieu van der Poel came to us and said he was not good, I thought he was joking'

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