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Follow us on GoogleGreg Van Avermaet has been impressed by Mathieu van der Poel's work ethic this winter. In a conversation with Sporza, the now-retired Belgian says that Van der Poel puts in an incredible amount of work day after day. The former road world champion is also very punctual.
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Van Avermaet has trained regularly this winter with Van der Poel, although rarely on the bike. He did get the Dutchman from Alpecin-Premier Tech to jump into the sea multiple times, and Van der Poel has also been good at running for years. In fact, thanks to more than 100,000 likes on an Instagram post, Van der Poel must one day in principle do a triathlon.
According to Van Avermaet, Van der Poel will indeed keep his word one day, even though he is currently still a full-time pro as a cyclo-cross and road rider. In 2025 he also added mountain biking again. According to Van Avermaet, it is no surprise that focused training is still needed if Van der Poel is to avoid making a fool of himself in a possible triathlon.
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Van Avermaet and Van der Poel dove into the sea several times this winter
Van der Poel needs better swim technique
“At his swimming technique there is still work to be done, but I think he averaged 3 minutes 30 seconds over 10 kilometres. That is very fast,” said the Belgian, who recently won a triathlon in his own age group. He thinks he has discovered a similar mindset in Van der Poel. “If Mathieu will participate, it won’t be to come fifty-fifth. So he won’t just try it.”
This illustrates the competitive beast in Van der Poel, who just last Sunday turned up at the cyclo-cross in Benidorm even though he initially was going to skip it. The explanation was “too much desire”. And Van der Poel immediately won convincingly on the Spanish coast, bringing his winter tally to ten wins from ten cross races.
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Van der Poel won his tenth cross of this winter in Benidorm on Sunday
Van der Poel impresses Van Avermaet
That Van der Poel likes to win is a certainty. And that for years he has dominated on his favourite terrain is an understatement. Yet Van Avermaet stresses that it doesn’t necessarily come easily for his good friend. “Wonder legs don’t come on demand,” the former pro said — even the cyclo-cross world champion has to work extremely hard for them.
According to Van Avermaet, Van der Poel is willing to go for a run at 06:00 if the Belgian wants that. “And imagine 07:00 — then he is ready at 06:50,” he said admiringly. Van der Poel thus impresses with his work ethic and structure. “Mathieu has already won so much, but there is no sign of a rut in him.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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