The time trial is on for “MVDP”.
A little over a week after his return to competition in Italy, Mathieu Van der Poel returns to his Flanders playground before entering a decisive month.
This Wednesday, the Dutchman will take part in the 76th edition of A travers la Flandre, dress rehearsal before the Tour of Flanders, his favorite event.
A sign of the event that his participation constitutes, still plagued by doubts at the end of February, it was the organizer of the “Ronde” who announced that the winner of the 2020 event would be there this Sunday.
A vital presence for all the stakeholders, from the organizers to his Belgian team (Alpecin-Fenix) via him, the ever insatiable animator of these one-day races of which he participates in writing the endless story.
A new welcome as nothing ensured the presence of the 27-year-old rider on the starting line on the Flanders benchmark event.
Undermined by a violent fall at the Tokyo Olympics, where he was engaged in mountain biking, Van der Poel cut short his end of the season before delaying the start of the new one in 2022.
Read alsoJO: the impressive fall of Mathieu Van der Poel, grandson of Poulidor, in mountain biking
But as a good surprise, the Dutchman hastened his return on the occasion of Milan-San Remo.
Where he lived up to his reputation as a man for a day by climbing on the podium of the Primavera (3rd), exactly as he had finished his previous season, in Paris-Roubaix (3rd).
A reassuring return for the four-time cyclo-cross world champion, who had also quickly cut his season in the undergrowth to promote his return to the road.
Meanwhile, Van Aert impresses
And three days after Milan-San Remo, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor continued his Italian preparation by lining up for the Coppi and Bartali week, where he was able to win his first bouquet of the season during the 4th stage.
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A perfect preparation for what will follow
”, was satisfied the winner of the second stage of the Tour de France 2021. And before the Tour of Flanders, where he was also on the podium last year (2nd), “MVDP” therefore has an appointment with the 13 mountains on the route of A travers la Flandre.
On the program, 13 climbs, 5 cobbled sections and 183 kilometers between Roeselare and Waregem.
An ideal dress rehearsal for the winner of the 2019 edition of the event, where he will nevertheless have to scrap with top-notch competition, starting with the insatiable Tadej Pogacar, who is discovering the Flanders playgrounds this year (he had participated in Flandrian races only among hopefuls).
Among the other contenders, we find the outgoing winner Dylan van Baarle or Mads Pedersen and Fabio Jakobsen.
A competition where we note however a notable absentee: Wout Van Aert.
Impressive since the start of the season, his great rival will skip this Wednesday after a busy week where he raised his arms in the E3 GP before finishing 12th in Ghent-Wevelgem.
Results in line with a 2022 season so far successful in large widths, like his inaugural triumph on Het Nieuwsblad and his regular podiums on Paris-Nice (victory on the clock of the 4th stage) .
Clearly ahead of the competition and even more ahead of his best enemy, the Belgian champion is the favorite of a Tour of Flanders which has refused him since the start of his transition to the road.
In 2020, he had also been picked at the finish line by a certain Mathieu Van der Poel.
