"Playground Mathieu is back," says Zonneveld: "It’s a joy to see van der Poel doing this instead of chasing green"
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Follow us on GoogleMathieu van der Poel raised eyebrows among cycling analysts and others last weekend. Firstly, because he pushed aside the green jersey and the points classification, even though he seemed to be in a strong position to win them. On Sunday, however, he won the hearts of all cycling fans by joining his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jonas Rickaert in an attack that lasted the entire day.
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"In today's cycling, you have to consider nutrition, wind tunnel testing, watts per kilo, frontal surface area, shorter cranks, and calculate everything down to the last decimal point. Everything is meticulously planned and thoroughly prepared. But a few guys are riding around in the peloton who just blow everything up in a totally irrational way. They sometimes do something that's impossible, illogical, and inexplicable," Thijs Zonneveld enthused on
In De Waaier.
The cycling journalist had previously questioned Van der Poel's decision to reject the green jersey, but: "If Van der Poel does this instead of going for green, then it's a joy to watch. Then, it would have been a matter of gathering points and letting them slip away, but this was much cooler. He's turned everything upside down. This is why we watch sports: crazy things happen, with fantastic riders trying ridiculous things. I'm glad that playground Mathieu is back."
Read more below the photo.

Van der Poel gives cycling fans a great weekend
Zonneveld called it advertising for cycling. Thomas Dekker agreed on Live Slow Ride Fast. 'This just goes to show that cycling is the most beautiful sport in the world. You can make something out of nothing. On paper, it was a boring day for cycling fans. With 25 kilometers to go, you're watching, and so many different emotions are running through you. You think, "This can't be happening,' but it's Van der Poel. So that guy just drove us a little crazy."
At the podcast In Het Wiel, there was also gratitude because what looked like two boring sprint races on Saturday and Sunday turned out to be a spectacular show, especially on Sunday. Roxane Knetemann: "Van der Poel went so fast in those last kilometers; it was unbelievable. I was on the edge of my seat.2 Even Lance Armstrong admitted as much on The Move. "I really thought: come on bro, do it!"
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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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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026


