With the cyclocross season almost over, eyes now turn to the Spring Classics, where the big unknown is whether Mathieu van der Poel will be able to maintain his supremacy.
“Everyone who turned on the TV this winter will point in the same direction”, says 4x winner of Paris-Roubaix (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012) Tom Boonen, in an interview with the main Belgian sports channel, Sporza. “Mathieu van der Poel has reached a level I have never seen.”
However, with the Slovenian focusing his ambitions on this year’s Giro d’Italia, this change to his schedule will result in him missing the Tour of Flanders. While Wout van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike see this as an advantage, Boonen expresses some uncertainty regarding this strategy.
“With such a good Mathieu Van der Poel it is another disadvantage”, however, the more athletes present, the better”, analyzes the Belgian.
Watch the final attack that gave Wout Van Aert victory in the Benidorm World Cup