Is Mathieu van der Poel fully recovered from E3 Saxo Classic? "Still feel it"

After a formidable effort in the E3 Saxo Classic, Mathieu van der Poel is already at the start line again two days later at In Flanders Fields. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider would love to add the race to his palmarès but still feels the effects from Friday’s race in his legs, he told WielerFlits, among others.

"I hope I have recovered enough. I still feel my legs a bit. During the race, I hope I can still improve," said Van der Poel, who has never won Gent-Wevelgem. "I wouldn’t say that makes me extra motivated, but of course, I’d love to win it. Hopefully, I’ll be sufficiently recovered by the finale."

The Dutchman indicated that he approaches the race without a concrete plan. "I’m mainly going to try to react to how the race unfolds. I do have to make sure I don’t get isolated too early like in E3, but today we also have Jasper (Philipsen, ed.) in reserve, so that changes things. He has just as much chance at winning as I do," he said.

Atacking with Van Aert?
The decisive moment is expected to come on the Kemmelberg, where riders like Van der Poel will need to try and drop the fast men. "That climb suits me fairly well. Of course, there are different sides. The last time is the hardest, especially since the race will have already exploded by then. It remains to be seen how I’ll feel."

He may have plenty of support in the hilly section from his rival Wout van Aert, who will also need to launch attacks to have a shot at victory. "That’s possible. There will be racing in the hill zone. The question is whether attackers can create a gap big enough to stay away," Van der Poel concluded, who already finished second behind Mads Pedersen in 2024.