"Teammates called to stop": Naesen saw 'incredible' Mathieu van der Poel in Tirreno

Mathieu van der Poel didn’t just make one, but multiple statements last week at Tirreno-Adriatico. The Dutchman won two stages, but Oliver Naesen—who was also racing in Italy—was especially impressed by his performance in the final stage to San Benedetto del Tronto.

The last stage of Tirreno-Adriatico ended, as expected, in a sprint, but Mathieu van der Poel singlehandedly made it a very tough day in the saddle for the sprinters. With an impressive turn at the front on the final climb and in the subsequent flat kilometers, he made the peloton sweat and the fast men suffer.

Naesen witnessed it all up close and runs out of superlatives to describe Van der Poel’s performance. “I saw up close how his teammates were shouting to stop and slow down. That was purely about bringing out his ‘Cipressa legs’ once again,” he said in the HLN Cycling Podcast.

Top favorite number one
“His effort was purely self-serving,” says the West Flanders rider. “He really, really wanted to hurt us. That was truly impressive. I saw incredible things from him that week. They convince me that he’s the top favorite number one to win Milan-Sanremo.”

Greg Van Avermaet—a good friend of Van der Poel—was also a guest on the podcast and nodded in agreement. “I thought it was one of the best Mathieus I’ve ever seen. We mustn’t forget he’s racing against climbers on gradients that, given his weight, are also a disadvantage for him. To still have reserves there and the desire to attack—that says a lot.”