In the name of all his people.
Heredity can, under the weight of comparisons, be borne as a burden.
The Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel (28 years old), has from his first laps, transformed the intimate challenge into a crazy success story.
His grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, who died in November 2019, profoundly marked world cycling with his good-natured personality and the legend of "
the eternal second
".
His father Adrie Van der Poel, winner in the 1980s of the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Paris-Tours, wore the yellow jersey for one day and finished silver medalist at the 1983 Worlds. Married to Corinne (“
I met him at a sporting event, but I didn't know he was a runner
“, told The Last Hour one of the daughters of Raymond Poulidor), the Dutchman living in Belgium, in Kapellen, north of Antwerp naturally put his sons on a bicycle.
David the eldest, then Mathieu.
They settled in the professional peloton under the colors of the Belgian team Alpecin.
A Second Division team propelled to the fore by the ever more resounding victories of Mathieu Van der Poel.
After the Amstel Gold Race in 2019 and the Tour of Flanders in 2020, the Dutch champion is collecting prestigious successes (Tour of Flanders 2022, before Milan San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2023; but also a victory of stage on the Tour de France in 2021 and six days spent in yellow).
With a rare ability to take risks.
On all terrains.
“Cyclo-cross world champion (for the 5th time) in February, ahead of his great rival Wout Van Aert, he then brightened up the spring in a masterful way.
Solo winner of Milan-San Remo (62 years after his grandfather).
Untenable on Paris-Roubaix, this Sunday (Poupou had never done better than 5th there in 1962; Adrie his father was on the podium, 3rd in 1986).
"
Van der Poel flies into hell
", title El Pais which writes, under the pen of Carlos Arribas:
“''Come on Poupou''.
A spectator has written it on a piece of cardboard and from the ditch shows it to Van der Poel, who, poised until the last second, without touching the brakes, letting the bike slide through the turns like a rally driver, passes in front him, at more than 60 an hour.
"Poupou", whom he called Pappy, was his grandfather.
You can already feel the Vélodrome de Roubaix, you can hear it, it's right next door.
Victory awaits him.
The queen of classics loves it.
The Hell of the North, the monument of Paris-Roubaix, he wins it, it is the fourth monument of his career, as much as Pogacar.
This is the golden age of cycling in the 21st century.
And this week, the biggest is Van der Poel.
Grace is with him.
He is the lucky star.
Very nice and relaxing lightly dancing on the cobblestones.
»
Raymon Poulidor, Mathieu Van der Poel.
Panoramic
A solo raid of 15 km to punctuate a dream day after having maintained a 46-second lead.
Bold, spectacular, solid, Mathieu Van der Poel (1.84 m, 75 kg) surprises, seduces by blowing up races that were padlocked yesterday.
For your viewing pleasure.
The taste of the game, of the effort.
He surprises with his balancing skills, his endurance, his courage, his ability to bounce back.
With the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, the Belgians Wout Van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, he embodies a golden period of cycling.
“
No, Mathieu is not an extraterrestrial.
He is human.
He's just a super strong runner
, ”planted his teammate Jasper Philipsen (2nd in the Hell of the North).
Raymond Poulidor liked, rocky voice and sparkling eyes, to tell his grandsons: “
They are surprised when I go to Belgium or the Netherlands and people greet me.
When Mathieu was world junior road champion, I had David on the phone who said to me: ''He's not normal.'' It's extraordinary.
He's way more talented than Adrie and me.
Modest, he said his pride, certain that the "
phenomenon
" would quickly make people talk about him.
For his pappy, Mathieu Van der Poel will apply himself to enrich the rich family album.
After the death of Raymond Poulidor, Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, confided: “
Raymond Poulidor, people loved him.
Of all generations.
His name resounded.
And will still resonate.
When we hear next year, in two years, in five years, the victories of his grandson, many will think Mathieu ''Van der Poulidor'', without a doubt...
"
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