Mathieu van der Poel is geopereerd in Belgisch ziekenhuis - https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/mathieu-van-der-poel-is-geopereerd-in-belgie/
Translation of an interview with Sporza (it was an organised interview with some other journalists calling in, so I expect Cycling Weekly will have something up in English tomorrow):
Next Sunday, the Christmas menu in Dendermonde will be spiced up with the return of Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman says he has "an acceptable level" after his physical problems, but doesn't know if he can keep up with Wout van Aert. "I hope I can surprise myself," he said.
The opening question for Mathieu van der Poel during a digital press moment was not surprising: how are things going after a long radio silence?
"My knee has finally recovered," said Van der Poel, who suffered "a stupid crash" on 25 November during an innocent bike ride in a forest. "When I started cycling again about four days after the fall, I felt pain. I had to stop again for 5 to 6 days. I was afraid that this break would be too long, because my cross season was already limited."
"So initially I feared it would threaten my cross winter, but now I'm cycling again for a while and my knee is holding up." Van der Poel remained off the bike for around 12 days and later left on a training course with his team Alpecin-Fenix. He decided to cancel his return last weekend in Rucphen and Namen.
According to dad Van der Poel, the world champion will need a few more races to compete for the win. "Did he say that to keep the pressure off? No, there's no point doing that, and I wouldn't go along with it."
"The level is pretty high. I expected Wout van Aert to win straight away, but not like that. That was pretty impressive. The level in the group after Wout I should normally be able to handle, but I don't know if I have the legs yet to follow him. Hopefully I can surprise myself."
Sunday in Dendermonde we will already get a cautious answer. "If Wout hadn't been so above everyone else, I would have expected myself to compete (to win). I will do everything I can to enter the duel. I'm especially happy that I can race again, although I hope the crowd can stay. Last year was a bit bleak."
###Back problem remains an issue: "It's getting a bit frustrating".
Van der Poel says of his overall physical condition that he hopes "to be rid of all the ailments". There is more to him than the flesh wound in his knee: his back also remains a problem.
"I had hoped to get rid of the
... keep reading on reddit β‘Mathieu van der Poel to kick-start 'cross campaign in late December - VeloNews.com
"Mathieu van der Poel will be returning to the mud and guts of the cyclocross winter on December 18.
Het Laatste Nieuws reports defending βcross world champion van der Poel will race five World Cups through the new year period ahead of his title defense in Fayetteville.
The first race on the Dutchmanβs reported program will be on home soil at the UCI World Cup Rucphen, one week before Christmas. He will follow that up with four more races in the following 15 days.
Van der Poel has not raced across any discipline since his dazzling ride at Paris-Roubaix early October. The past seven weeks have seen the 26-year-old busy with medics and physiotherapists as he rehabbed the back injury he sustained at the Olympics MTB race.
Now that van der Poel has been cleared as injury-free and ready to race, the question on everyoneβs lips is β when will the first showdown with archrival Wout van Aert be?
Expect to see the two cross-discipline stars go head-to-head at the Dendermonde World Cup on December 26. Initial reports indicate that may be the only time the two toe the same startline all winter.
Van der Poelβs sparse pre-worlds schedule contrasts that of van Aert. The Jumbo-Visma ace has announced an itinerary starting December 4 at Superprestige Boom, packing a total of 12 races into five weeks.
Rising superstar Tom Pidcock is similarly expected to debut in Boom.
Van der Poel has previously indicated his intentions to fly Stateside to race for a fifth cyclocross rainbow jersey in Fayetteville at the end of January, where he will likely be joined by Pidcock. Van der Poelβs World Cup-focussed program will enable him to amass UCI points to gain a favorable spot in the start-pen for the worlds.
Van Aert is still uncertain over a trip to Arkansas for fears of disruption to final preparations for the βopening weekendβ of the classics, February 26 and 27.
Mathieu van der Poel β reported race schedule
Rucphen World Cup, 18 December
Namur World Cup, 19 December
Dendermonde World Cup, 26 December
Superprestige Heusden-Zolder, 27 December
Hulst World Cup, 2 January
As posted on the team's Facebook page, Mathieu van der Poel is delaying his cyclocross season debut by a week until the World Cup in Dendermonde:
> This has been decided by the rider and team management after consulting with the teamβs performance and medical staff.
The main reason for this is the healing process of his knee injury which takes longer than initially anticipated, as a result of which he has not yet been able to complete specific CX training. This means van der Poel will return to CX competition in Dendermonde on December 26.
I think this the knee injury his sustained late November and which caused him to travel to the team's training camp in Spain four days later than planned. Last week, the team said it probably wouldn't affect his cross season, but it seems it was a bit more serious than they anticipated.
Translation of the full article on Sporza: https://sporza.be/nl/2021/07/05/eddy-merckx-over-1e-tourweek-dat-van-der-poel-eruit-stapt-vind-ik-spijtig~1625496803459/
Rest day at the Tour. While the riders recharge their batteries for what's to come, Eddy Meckx shines his light on the first week. Merckx thoroughly enjoyed it: from the extraordinary performance of Mathieu van der Poel to the miracle of Cavendish. "Everyone is flying right in, that's why we get such a great first week," says Merckx.
The first week of the Tour was one with ups and downs. Especially the many crashes, including those of some favorites, cast a shadow over a fantastic first week.
"When the Tour is too difficult, everyone is scared. The course this year is not too tough and that's why everyone is flying in. That's why we got such a great first week," Merckx said.
"I think the crashes are largely because the riders aren't racing together a lot anymore. They're going on a lot more training camps now and they're not used to each other. In that way, they're less skillful in a peloton. They also don't know the reflexes of each other as much."
"In the first week, of course, it's always nervous and the roads weren't that wide either. Those are also reasons why riders fall. But I think you still get fewer falls when you race together more often."
"When you start a stage race, it's not to abandon it"
Eddy Merckx also looked at Van der Poel's performance with great admiration. "What he did on the MΓ»r-de-Bretagne was grandiose. Grabbing the bonification seconds on the first passage and the win on the second passage, that's when you really have to be super strong."
"I once went to dinner with Mathieu van der Poel and his grandfather Poulidor. Pou-Pou was convinced that Mathieu could win the Tour. Unfortunately, I have to say that it's not possible."
The Dutchman quit just before the rest day to prepare for the Olympics in Tokyo. A decision Merckx can't really understand. "I wouldn't be able to do that. When you start a stage race, it's not to quit. You should otherwise prepare for the Games in a different way. It doesn't benefit the sport of cycling."
"Van der Poel himself is asking for such a packed schedule. Nobody is forcing him to do that. The Tour de France is the biggest race of the year and in cycling, just dropping out is a shame."
"The comeback of Cavendish is a miracle."
Cavendish was immediately good for two stage wins in the first week. This brings his total
... keep reading on reddit β‘
Anyone recommend races where there have been some epic cyclocross battles between the two?
A) Because Min had been draggin' a wagon without horses ever since he met her.
Hi,
Currently a high school dual enrolled senior looking to take Math 1B winter quarter at De Anza. Because I'm the last batch to signup all the Math 1B asynch teachers have been filled and the only teachers remaining that fit my school schedule are for Ison (Filled but only 1 person on waitlist) and Poel (a lot of space remaining). Anyone have experience with Professor Ison or Poel, especially for Math 1B? How's the professors like and what should I expect?
Thanks!
Lots of exciting racing happening without these three already, but the big question is of course whether they'll make the trip to the US for the Worlds, and when we'll see them back in the muddy fields.
TL;DR: MvdP and Tom Pidcock will ride the Worlds (no solid return date for Van der Poel, but Pidcock is taking a bit more time and aiming for the superprestige in Boom on 4 December). Van Aert isn't sure yet on the Worlds, his plans for his cross season will be similar to last year (when his first race was end of November).
Wout van Aert (source: Sporza interview after winning Flandrien of the year):
> Wout van Aert is now enjoying some rest before he starts racing cross this winter. But his exact programme has not been decided yet. "It will largely resemble 2021. The classics are very important for me because that's where my qualities come out best."
"I definitely want to try again to win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. I'm another year stronger and have a year more experience, so that's at the top of my list."
How the winter will look like, Van Aert doesn't know yet. "I have a few meetings with the team this week to discuss how we are going to do the winter. Then there will be some more clarity."
"The World Championships in the United States? That is definitely a doubt. It is something completely different from the Worlds in Ostend. With the jet lag and the long journey, it certainly won't be the ideal run-up to the spring, which will be pretty busy again."
"It's clear to me that the spring classics are my priority and we will draw up the cross calendar accordingly. The decision about the World Championships has not been made yet. It will be difficult, but we have to consider all the options."
So does that mean the winter season will be a little less important for Van Aert in 2022? "When I'm on the start line, I always want to win. I go full steam ahead for every race, because I don't want to do things halfway. I'm ambitious for the races to come, but my goals are more and more on the road. I want to fill some gaps in my palmares."
Is one such gap perhaps the overall victory in the Tour, as his training buddy Jan Bakelants suggests? "Jan also said it would be a bunch sprint at the world championships in Leuven, so I'm not sure if he really knows anything about racing," the Flandrian laughs.
Mathi
... keep reading on reddit β‘Wout Poels extends with Bahrain Victorious for one more year
> Wout Poels has extended his contract with Bahrain Victorious for one more year. A week and a half ago the team announced that it would say goodbye to Poels and others. Sources around the cycling team have now confirmed to WielerFlits that both parties have reached an agreement. > > After five years Vacansoleil, one year Omega Pharma-Quick-Step and five years Team Sky, Poels will enter his third year with Bahrain Victorious in 2022. This year, the North Limburg native was one of his team's successful standout riders in the Tour de France where he battled for the mountain jersey with Tadej Pogacar up to and including the final mountain stage. In the end, Poels only had to bow his head to the two-time Tour winner on the final climb to Luz-Ardiden. > > Nevertheless, on October 11 the team announced on Twitter that it would be saying goodbye to six riders: Wout Poels, Kevin Inkelaar, Eros Capecchi, Scott Davies, Marco Haller and Marcel Sieberg. So now the team has come back on the departure of Poels. > > Bahrain Victorious had a successful season in 2021. The team recorded no less than 31 victories. The victories in Paris-Roubaix (Sonny Colbrelli), the European Championships on the road (Colbrelli), the queen stage and final classification Benelux Tour (Colbrelli), the final stage Benelux Tour (Matej Mohoric), three stages in the Tour de France (Dylan Theuns and twice Mohoric), a stage in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España (Damiano Caruso) and second place in the final classification Giro d'Italia (Caruso) were the most remarkable. > > Despite his 34 years, Poels has previously indicated that he hopes to remain active in the pro scene for several more years. His victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2016 is his greatest win of his career so far.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
"Riders need to get off their mountain, then they will fall less"
- "Deceuninck - Quick-Step rewarded twice".
"Cavendish darn it. I won't call it a miracle, but it is impressive. However, if you can beat Jasper Philipsen in the Tour of Turkey, it's not surprising you can do the same in the Tour. Much more impressive is the fact that Cavendish, after two dark years, has come back to Patrick Lefevere this season. Though you shouldn't romanticise that either. It may well be that Cavendish gets a lot of trust from Lefevere. But if I am well informed, it is really about more than just trust. Above all, Cavendish has been worked very hard. Strict training schedules, paying close attention to his weight, the right support: that's what explains his comeback.
"But it's nice that they are rewarded at Deceuninck - Quick-Step for their courage and initiative. Which, by the way, was also true for yesterday's stage. It doesn't surprise me at all that Brent Van Moer was able to hold out almost to the finish. It is striking how few sprinters' teams took their responsibility. Where was ArkΓ©a for Bouhanni? Bike Exchange for Matthews? Bora for Sagan? The only ones who really rode behind the escapees were Groupama-FDJ, Alpecin-Fenix and Deceuninck - Quick-Step. Too many teams are waiting to see what happens. This way, a breakaway rider is going to be out of the way soon anyway."
β
- "Riders need to get off their mountain, then they'll fall less"
"It wasn't pretty, what we saw after those many falls on Monday. Everyone was shouting something, and in the end very little is likely to change. This mini strike by the riders is not going to make a difference at all. If you really want to give a signal, give a strong signal. My idea? One: the riders themselves are also to blame for the fact that there are so many falls. They all go on altitude training for weeks. But if you have just spent two months on a high mountain on your own and then suddenly you have to ride in a peloton again at fifty per hour, that is a big difference. You have to maintain your steering skills and the concentration they require. And two: why not set up a committee with former riders who can independently judge how dangerous such a course is. People who will not be bullied by anything or anyone. Who? Robbie McEwen would be a good candidate.
β
- "Mathieu has no time to sit on his time trial bike".
"What can we expect from Mathieu in the time trial? Whether he can keep his yellow? I don't completel
... keep reading on reddit β‘