De Cauwer and co struggle to understand Van der Poel’s E3 display: “He may still be feeling the crash more than others”

With 65 kilometres to go, Van der Poel decided to leave his final rivals behind, but that move almost came back to haunt him. “Looking back, Mathieu may also say that he should have stayed with that group a little longer and that he should have put Edward Planckaert on the front,” Vannieuwkerke said at Sporza. “He had Planckaert there, after all.”

De Cauwer was equally surprised by the former world champion’s early acceleration. “He could have done it on his terrain. If he goes on the Paterberg or the Oude Kwaremont, then in my view there is no issue at all. In the end Planckaert could no longer play any role. You are in such a favourable position there, and then they do not even give you the chance to do something.”

On the Paterberg, Van der Poel finally dropped Stan Dewulf and rode solo to the finish, but the chasing quartet remained within touching distance of the exhausted Dutchman for much of the finale. Vannieuwkerke felt this was not quite the same unbeatable Van der Poel seen in previous seasons. The Belgian did not see the “Superman” version of Van der Poel this time.

“If he is Superman, then he wins by half a minute or a minute,” Vannieuwkerke explained. “I had the same feeling last week. Otherwise Pidcock and Pogačar do not ride him off their wheel on the Poggio. In my opinion, he is still feeling that crash more than others think. Those may be the few percentage points he needs for the Tour of Flanders.” That assessment fits with Van der Poel’s own pre-E3 admission that the hand injury from Milan-Sanremo was still bothersome, even if manageable.

De Cauwer was not entirely sure what to make of Van der Poel’s level either. “Mathieu had to fight today to win. Then you are naturally inclined to say that he is a little less strong. But then again, you think: this is Van der Poel, he is not lesser. However you feel, I do not understand why he starts so early. I think these are unnecessary efforts and unnecessary risks.”

After what Tadej Pogačar showed in Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo, both analysts fear what may be coming next in the Tour of Flanders, which will be held next Sunday. “What does this say about the Tour of Flanders? That Pogačar is the top favourite,” Vannieuwkerke said.

De Cauwer was slightly more cautious, though not by much. “I said before Milan-Sanremo and before this race that Pogačar would not simply ride Van der Poel off his wheel. I still think that, but I do not quite know what to make of today. We said that Pogačar and Van der Poel were on the same level. Now I would almost dare to say that Pogačar is just above Van der Poel.” That view also aligns with recent analysis on IDL Procycling, where Bruyneel argued that Pogačar now starts as the clear favourite for Flanders.