So it’s true after all! It actually took a lot of effort for Van der Poel to win Paris-Roubaix

Sometimes it seems like riders such as Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, and Wout van Aert win effortlessly. As if they floating across the course while everyone else has to pedal. Van der Poel’s victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are clear examples of this. His phenomenal acceleration on the cobblestones of Roubaix seemed almost unreal. He powered over the French cobbles so much faster than the rest that it almost looked like that nearly sixty-kilometer solo effort didn’t cost him anything. But fortunately, that turns out not to be the case at all.

It actually took Van der Poel a great deal of effort to pull off his historic solo in Roubaix. This is evident from his 2024 Whoop stats. His toughest day was Sunday, April 7, the day of Paris-Roubaix. On that day, he recorded his highest day strain (the highest load or effort) of the year, a staggering 20.7 points. Is that a lot? Absolutely, because Whoop works on a scale from 0 to 21. Van der Poel was utterly spent when he crossed the finish line at the Vélodrome André Pétrieux.

The data also shows that in 366 days, Van der Poel completed a cycling activity no fewer than 327 times. His best recovery day was May 18, the day Filippo Ganna won the time trial in the Giro d’Italia. It’s entirely possible that Van der Poel, like many other cycling fans, spent that day lounging in comfortable clothes on the couch, watching TV and slowly drifting off to sleep. To us, that seems like a solid way to achieve a recovery rate of 97%!