Van der Poel's teammate could tell how he was feeling during the road race: 'So then you know he’s capable of doing crazy things'
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Follow us on GoogleAnd what a grueling World Cycling Championship it was: anyone who was in the mixed zone for interviews during the race and saw the riders who had just dropped out passing by would have felt like they were in 'The Hunger Games'. That was certainly the case for Bart Lemmen, who dropped out of the race in Montreal with two laps to go. “I’m completely exhausted,” he told IDL Pro Cycling.
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How did his race go? “Well, it went okay… until I got dropped. Yeah, I’m just beat right now,” said Lemmen, one of many Dutch riders who didn't finish behind team leader Mathieu van der Poel.
Read more below the photo!
Mathieu van der Poel won the bronze medal in Montreal.
Lemmen on Armirail's performance during the World Cup
Together with the other Dutch riders, Lemmen made sure Van der Poel had everything he needed during the flat opening stage. As the peloton entered the local loop in Montreal, French rider Bruno Armirail—normally Lemmen’s Visma | Lease a Bike teammate—launched a fierce attack.
"It was going really fast, and you could tell that everyone was slowly running out of steam. I certainly was," the Dutchman continues. "And then you know the final is coming up soon. Bruno isn't going to ride like that and then let the pace drop again."
Lemmen could tell that Van der Poel was feeling good
"After just two laps, you could already tell it was pretty tough," said Lemmen. “And I also think that, as a Dutch team, we actually had it under control the whole day. Mathieu then opened the final himself, and after that, it was over in a flash. Or rather, ‘over in a flash’—by then, the race was already pretty much decided.”
"That's really smart of Mathieu," Lemmen says. "He's the one setting the pace, because that way he stays in control. He's very good at that, but you still need to have the legs for it. Tactics are one thing, but on such a tough stage, you really do need your legs."
There wasn't much talking along the way, Lemmen says. "You know what he's like," he confides in us. “In a way, you can tell by looking at him whether he’s struggling or not. And I don’t think he was, haha. So then you know he’s capable of doing crazy things.”
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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