Mathieu van der Poel’s extreme recovery ability highlighted by himself in numbers

One of Mathieu van der Poel's greatest assets is his recovery ability, which has been widely praised by trainers and coaches. The 31-year-old leader of Alpecin-Premier Tech can often quickly make another effort after exertion, a quality that helped him secure the world championship title in Glasgow in 2023. In the Whoop Podcast, he now shares some highlights of his physical talent.

Recovery ability is measured in part by HRV, which stands for heart rate variability. It is a tool used to determine the time between consecutive heartbeats. A high HRV is considered positive and indicates good recovery and a resilient body that can adapt flexibly to changing conditions. MVDP tracks this score himself on his sports watch.

His HRV score is above two hundred, reveals Whoop CEO Will Ahmed. "That is indeed extremely high for me; I often discuss it with friends," says the classics specialist. "It’s probably genetic, but fitness is also important. It makes me stronger and helps me recover better. HRV and RHR (resting heart rate) are the two most important numbers I look at on my watch."

Soon after, he also discusses with Ahmed the heart rate of golfer Justin Thomas right after a putt during the Ryder Cup, which at that moment rose to 150. "I really have to work hard on the bike or run pretty fast to reach that. What is my resting heart rate? On average, 38 beats per minute. The lowest I’ve ever measured on my Whoop was 34 beats per minute. That’s really low, but many endurance athletes have that."