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- Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands, born 1995) is the dominant Classics rider of the era — multiple Monument wins (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix) and a racing style built on explosive power and bike-handling genius
- Cycling royalty: grandson of Raymond Poulidor (the beloved French rider) and son of Adri van der Poel (a Classics winner). Cycling is the family business
- Multi-discipline roots: Van der Poel is a world champion in cyclocross (multiple elite titles) and a mountain bike contender. This cross-discipline background gives him unmatched bike handling and explosive power — the foundation of his Classics dominance
- Racing style: aggressive and instinctive. Van der Poel wins with long-range attacks, brutal power on the cobbles and short climbs, and a willingness to take risks that produces thrilling racing. He and Pogačar are the era's defining rivalry in the Classics
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Cycling royalty
Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands, born January 1995) was born into cycling. His grandfather is Raymond Poulidor — 'Poupou', the beloved French rider who finished the Tour de France on the podium 8 times without ever winning (the eternal second). His father is Adri van der Poel, a professional who won two Monuments (the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège) and was a cyclocross world champion. Cycling is the family business, and Mathieu is its crowning achievement.
His multi-discipline background is the foundation of his ability. Van der Poel is a multiple-time elite cyclocross world champion (the off-season off-road discipline that demands explosive power and bike handling) and a mountain bike contender. This cross-discipline training — riding CX in winter, road in spring, mountain bike in summer — gives him unmatched bike handling, explosive power, and the ability to recover from efforts that would crack a pure road specialist. It's no coincidence that the best Classics riders (Van der Poel, Wout van Aert) come from cyclocross.
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Classics dominance
Van der Poel's road focus is the spring Classics, and he has dominated them. He has won the Tour of Flanders (the cobbled Monument) multiple times, Milan-San Remo (the sprinter's Classic, which he won by attacking on the Poggio), and Paris-Roubaix (the Hell of the North, where his power on the cobbles is unmatched). He is one of the few active riders with multiple different Monuments.
His racing style is aggressive and instinctive. Van der Poel wins not by waiting for the sprint but by attacking — long-range moves on the bergs (Flanders) or the cobbles (Roubaix), sustained at a power output only he can hold. He takes risks (his descents and cobble riding are spectacular), and he races to entertain as much as to win. Alongside Pogačar, he is the rider fans tune in to watch — because you never know what he'll do next.
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The Van der Poel–Pogačar–Van Aert triangle
The defining rivalry of modern Classics cycling is the triangle of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar, and Wout van Aert — three riders who, in any other era, would each dominate uncontested. Their clashes in the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and the cobbled Monuments are the sport's most anticipated races.
Van der Poel is the Classics king (the most Monument wins). Pogačar is the all-around phenomenon (who wins Classics AND the Tour). Van Aert is the most versatile (a Classics winner, a sprint winner, a time-trialist). When all three are healthy and targeting the same race — the Tour of Flanders, or Roubaix — the result is the highest-quality racing in cycling. The rivalry, born from cyclocross and junior racing (the three have raced each other since they were teenagers), is genuine and respectful — and it elevates every race they contest.
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