Van der Poel, a worrying state of health

Hampered for a month by back problems, Mathieu van der Poel has still not resumed training. Worrying in view of the classics…

Adrie van der Poel gave news of her son, Mathieu. And these are not very good. The Dutch phenomenon has been on hold for a month due to back pain that is struggling to go away. ” Mathieu still hasn’t taken the bike back, explains Adrie van der Poel to the magazine cycling review. At the moment, he can’t do much except lie on the sofa. It is extremely difficult, especially since, apart from his back problems, there is no problem. »

A month off at this stage of the season is inevitably problematic, especially when, for Van der Poel, one of the objectives is to shine in the classics in the spring. But in the longer term, it is worrying to see that the body of Raymond Poulidor’s grandson is already showing signs of weariness, at only 27 years old.

Recently, the physiotherapist of the Alpecin-Fenix ​​team, David Bombeke, did not hide his concern about the hyperactive Van der Poel. “In reality, what happens is the result of the many assaults he has put on his body, from mountain biking and road cycling to cyclo-cross and BMX in the past, said Bombeke in remarks collected by the Dutch-speaking Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad. Her body is now paying the price. »

Is Van der Poel doing too much?

And Adrie van der Poel shares this feeling. “Most of the time, his preparation period is too short. Maybe he’ll have to change something, underlines the former winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders. He could eventually choose to focus on the road and in 2024, abandon the road in view of the Olympic mountain bike race. This could be a good solution. This would allow him to better prepare for his goals when now, due to his busy schedule, everything seems a bit rushed. »

Quadruple cyclo-cross world champion, Mathieu van der Poel has been a major contributor to the road seasons for three years. He shines on the classics (he won the Strade Bianche, the Amstel Gold Race and the Tour of Flanders), wore the yellow jersey on the Tour de France. In addition to having this ability to switch from one discipline to another (he had given up the Tour last year to prepare for the mountain bike event of the Olympic Games), the Dutchman also tends not to save himself when he is racing, often embarking on spectacular solo raids.

Adrien van der Poel thinks his son should do a little less, by being smarter, like his rival Wout van Aert. ” Mathieu always rides aggressively. There are no more than two or three who ride the same way in the current peloton. And Van Aert is not one of them. He rarely goes on the attack. He always follows, he is a clever runner, but the real attackers are, in my opinion, Pogacar, who always attacks from afar like Mathieu, and Alaphilippe. Van Aert traces his race on these two runners I think, estime Adrie van der Poel. It’s great, but I’ve already told Mathieu that he has to think about his career and save himself more in the race, or even not race at all. »