Mathieu van der Poel explains his tactical approach in the finale after Tirreno-Adriatico gravel-stage win
CyclingTuesday, 10 March 2026 at 16:48
He was not at the start of Strade Bianche on Saturday, but three days later Mathieu van der Poel still powered to victory on a Tirreno-Adriatico stage shaped by a gravel-heavy finale. The Dutchman of Alpecin-Premier Tech drove the pace himself and then finished it off in style in San Gimignano.
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With 6.8 kilometres to go, the peloton turned onto the decisive gravel sector, and Van der Poel immediately moved to the front. “We entered that gravel sector and Julian Alaphilippe attacked. I then took over, knowing some more technical corners were coming up.”
“I tried to make the race as hard as possible,” Van der Poel explained. Because of a crash by Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), he found himself out in front alone, before GC riders Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) managed to bridge across.
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That left Van der Poel to take on two climbers in a demanding finale. “It was very hard and the level on that final climb was incredibly high. It also rained at the end of the stage and that made it quite tricky, but the team did a really good job,” he added, also praising the team-mates who had helped position him perfectly for the decisive section.
Read more below the video
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Van der Poel ticks off his goal
In the end, the Dutchman did manage to finish it off in the final rising metres in the historic city centre. “It was a difficult little sprint. It was pretty slippery, so it was hard to stay on top of the pedals. I had just enough energy left to take the win,” Van der Poel said afterwards.
That means he has already ticked off one of his main goals for the week. “I’m here to prepare for Milan-San Remo and the other Classics, but also to win a stage. Last year I came close a few times, so I’m happy it worked out again now.”
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Latest Comments
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
- Ah, the consequences of riding for Israel.Veganpotter11-12-2025
- Pidcock could follow everyone but Pogi while finishing 3rd. No second place rider this season😃Veganpotter16-11-2025
- Now the Palestinian protestors can stop their whining. Trump came to the rescue. So they can now STFU and go back to waving the rainbow flags.raufus15-10-2025
- Cracked the code lol. If it was that easy to 'crack the code' jonny Vegas would be charging up the Kwaremont giving Pog a dose of his medicine. Evenepoel can't match pog on a climb and neither can mvdp. Anything with a half difficult climb and Pog smashes the field. Even on flat(ish)parcours like Roubaix it came down to a mistake and crash by pog to definitively crown mvdp. MSR is the only one that Pog probably won't win.kevpt10-10-2025
- We've seen this movie before. I think Pogacar is doping.DeadBlow10-10-2025
- 👍Bea08-10-2025
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