To me Vingegaard is much more of a cyclist

Mathieu van der Poel is not willing to do everything to win

After Tadej Pogacar attacked the Oude Kwaremont’s second ascent, Remco Evenepoel worked with him before getting dropped. Then, Mathieu van der Poel worked with the Slovenian before getting dropped in the same way he had 12 months ago, on the exact same climb later on.

“After the Paterberg, he was asked ‘what if you get together with Pogacar?’ If he doesn’t ride along, he changes the essence of his race experience. He is not willing to do everything to win that race. In my view, he should be willing to put up with the feud with Pogacar by sitting on his wheel. Let everyone catch up. But yes, that is very negative racing.”

With Evenepoel coming back to the group, it is widely argued that van der Poel’s chances of winning would improve. This is because if the Olympic Champion attacked, the pressure to respond and/or chase would be on Pogacar; whilst it could also provide van der Poel with a chance to slow down and recover; and both these situations could on paper improve the possibilities of the race ending in a sprint which would favour him.

“It’s not his way, but if you want to beat Pogacar in this day and age, I think the only way is not to ride at all. I think he’s also afraid that if he doesn’t ride, he’ll still get dropped on the Kwaremont. That’s somewhere in his head, because that would be really painful.”

For van der Poel, who had the chance to win Flanders for a fourth time and beat the record, it would’ve been an historical triumph. Into 2027, both he and Pogacar now have a chance to make history.

But in Zonneveld’s opinion, van der Poel had every reason not to work with the Slovenian at that point in time. “Would he lose face? Maybe to the other riders, and to part of the crowd. But I think a large part of the crowd would actually really like to see it.”

Jonas Vingegaard is the only rider who takes it to his rivals 

“It is wonderful that they ride with their hearts, but you also see the downside of it. Look at the guys who aren’t riding along. There are few of them. Vingegaard is one of the few who really dare to ride tactically. Vingegaard is an attacking rider, but he is seen as a boring guy. Because he doesn’t always ride along.”

Vingegaard recently had a verbal battle with Remco Evenepoel at the Volta a Catalunya over an initial refusal to work; but this also happened at the 2024 Tour de France’s gravel stage famously. But this is ultimately part of the sport’s tactics, the Dutchman argues.

“He is, damn it, one of the riders who approaches cycling as cycling,” Zonneveld praises. “If he gets wrecked by Evenepoel in a flat stage, he thinks ‘figure it out yourself’. At its core, tactics are about fighting it out on the terrain where you think you have an advantage over the other. And then getting your opponent there too.”

“Pogacar handles that strategically well. Everyone likes him and he has much more likeability than Vingegaard, even though to me Vingegaard is much more of a cyclist, if you use that definition. That you manage your energy smartly and try to beat a better rider that way. He gets a lot of shit for hanging on the wheel, while he is the only one who dares to tell Pogacar ‘figure it out yourselves’.”