Reigning world champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) did not achieve the feat of doing the double, beaten by a Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) in another dimension this Sunday in Zurich. Even if he did not appear as strong as in the spring classics, the Batavian still finished 3rd, taking the bronze medal in a sprint of the living dead, after the last 100 kilometers without a minute of rest on a very demanding course. “I think I can be proud of my performance” declared van der Poelbronze medal around his neck.
Video – MVP’s reaction after the race
“One of my best races like this…”
Van der Poel seemed happy with his race of the day: “I think I can be very proud of my performance today, it’s maybe my best in a race like this so I’m happy. Yes, I lost weight to come here but I didn’t nothing to prove about what people are saying. I enjoyed the process of running this race, I knew that if I prepared properly I could have a good race but… Tadej was on a completely different level.”
Van der Poel didn’t think the Slovenian could last that long in front. “When Tadej Pogacar attacked, I thought he was losing all chances, that he was throwing away the world champion jersey. It wasn’t the smartest thing but apparently for him it was. Belgium started riding behind him and I had my team… Like I said, I thought he was losing his chances, but he proved otherwise. I’ve never seen a performance like that in a race. , we know that he is an exceptional runner and he proved it today.” Asked about a possible presence at Tour of Lombardy, van der Poel refuted the rumor: “I don’t know where this information comes from but it was never on the program. It’s not the end of my season yet, there’s still the Gravel Worlds.”
