David van der Poel admits Mathieu was just as good as last year in Milan-Sanremo

David van der Poel, who now works as a rider agent in the peloton, answered plenty of familiar questions on the Vals Plat podcast. No, he does not mind having lived in the shadow of his brother Mathieu for years. Yes, it has been great to be a Van der Poel in the peloton. And yes, in his current role as an agent, he is now also guiding Arnaud De Lie.

Milan-Sanremo, however, was also a major topic of discussion. So how did David assess Mathieu’s ride? The Dutchman could not follow on the Poggio and finished the race with a bloodied hand. “The effort was much longer; instead of eight minutes on the Cipressa, it was now the Cipressa plus another three or four kilometres,” David said, referring first and foremost to Tadej Pogačar’s crash, which changed the complexion of the finale.

Pogačar’s crash created “a big difference”, according to David. “Then you’re talking about an effort of 15 minutes instead of eight,” he said. “I think Mathieu may have gone a bit too deep there. He told me the times on the Cipressa and the Poggio were almost identical to last year’s, at least his own times. The power numbers were as well, so Pogačar was simply even stronger than last year.'

That is a painful conclusion with so much still to come this spring. The UAE Emirates-XRG world champion is also set to ride the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. “I had the feeling Mathieu wasn’t quite as good on the Cipressa, but judging by the speeds and climbing times, that wasn’t really the case,” David added. “Pogačar still went up faster, despite having a less favourable wind. Another level up.”

David van der Poel will watch the upcoming Classics with great interest, both as Mathieu’s brother and as Arnaud De Lie’s agent. The Belgian will be hoping to deliver in Gent-Wevelgem, while in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix the biggest stars are expected to come to the fore. In E3 Saxo Classic, though, the spotlight should be especially fixed on Van der Poel. “It will be everyone against Mathieu, but it’s a race that suits him.”