📸 What does Mathieu van der Poel eat after just finishing second in the Tour of Flanders? Proper recovery food!

Van der Poel went all the way to the limit in cycling’s Flemish monument, but in the end he had to admit that Tadej Pogačar was simply the better rider and therefore the deserved winner.

“When I looked down, I was doing 650 watts,” Van der Poel said afterwards about the moment Pogačar rode him off his wheel on the Oude Kwaremont.

“I felt like I got a little closer again after that, but then he accelerated once more. And that was it. The problem is that there’s a phenomenon riding around out there, and I ran into him. That mix of enjoyment and suffering? It was mostly suffering, haha. Head down and just keep pedalling.”

The enjoyment came later on Sunday evening at dinner time, as could be seen via Ovett’s Instagram stories. In those images, Van der Poel is seen enjoying Flemish fries and the usual snacks on the side. Well-earned fuel after a huge ride.