David van der Poel: “A night in jail is the best thing that could have happened to Mathieu”

During the 2022 World Championships in Australia, some remarkable reports about Mathieu van der Poel emerged. The Dutchman had chased two rowdy girls out of the hallway. As a result, the rider had to spend a night in a cell just before his bid for the world championship.

A day later, the turmoil proved fatal to the Dutchman’s performance. He rode only one lap and then had to withdraw. A major disappointment, as that world championship was one of his biggest goals. Yet his brother David van der Poel now sees the positive aspects of the incident.

‘I’ve never seen Mathieu so sad and uncertain. He was really down. That’s when it hit him: from now on, I’m going to give it my all,’ he says. ‘He started training even harder and didn’t let any opportunity slip by. That jail cell in Australia was the best thing that could have happened to him. In hindsight,’ concludes the 33-year-old brother.

A year later, Mathieu van der Poel returned to the World Championships and managed to win. However, he had been winning his entire career. Everything went his way. “Until he was 20, he could rely heavily on his talent. He even won races when he rode tactically foolishly, because he was so much better than the rest,” says David.

Although the ease with which he won also created a false impression. “He got the reputation that he was just messing around. The image of a prankster who supposedly didn’t listen to his coach and just did whatever he wanted.” According to his brother, that’s completely unfair.

‘I think there are very few riders who do as much for their sport as Mathieu. He was like that back in the day, too. But in recent years, he’s gained an enormous amount of motivation.’ Several factors have been important for that motivation, including that infamous World Championship in Australia.

But his competitors have also fueled a greater drive to win. “Wout van Aert has always pushed him to the limit, and now he’s locked in another sporting battle with Tadej Pogacar.” That battle may well take place again this Sunday at the Tour of Flanders. David van der Poel will be watching his little brother from the sidelines.