‘Don’t underestimate him’ - The story behind Mathieu van der Poel and Freddy Ovett’s training partnership

The British-born Australian Ovett, son of the former 800m Olympic Champion Steve Ovett, was well on his way to follow in his father's footsteps as a promising junior middle-distance runner before transitioning to cycling. Ovett was previously a stagiaire at BMC Racing in 2018 and for the Israel Cycling Academy in 2019, and even finished 2nd at the UCI Esports World Championships in 2022. 

Nowadays, he is well known for being a training partner of the one and only Mathieu van der Poel, with whom he enjoys a good friendship, as illustrated by frequent social media posts.

"Don't underestimate him, you must be incredibly strong yourself to train with guys like Mathieu or Remco Evenepoel," says Greg Van Avermaet to Nieuwsblad, who first introduced the pair.

Ovett regularly makes headlines with his social media posts showcasing their Spanish training adventures. Whether it's Van der Poel performing wheelies downhill, swimming in the sea, running a half-marathon, or setting new Strava records, cycling media eagerly share his content during the off-season.

His latest challenge, suggesting Van der Poel would complete a full triathlon if an Instagram post received 100,000 likes, is just one example of how he keeps fans engaged. The world champion, who will soon return to cyclocross in the coming weeks before focusing on the spring classics, has become more visible through Ovett's channels, especially since Van der Poel himself stopped posting on Strava in 2023.

That changed last week when Van der Poel jokingly asked, "Is this my Strava comeback?" after posting a coastal run with Ovett covering 10 kilometres in just 33 minutes - a blistering pace of 3:22 per kilometre.

"Those two get along really well now," explains Van Avermaet, who recently joined them for training. "It's always really fun to train with Mathieu and Freddy. There's a lot of laughter and the occasional good-natured jibe." Van der Poel once playfully referred to Ovett as "My Costa Blanca B*tch."

The introduction came naturally. "Freddy was already living in Costa Blanca in 2022. He messaged me when I was preparing for the autumn season there. We ended up training together every day, and he adapted to my schedule. When Mathieu moved there, I introduced him to Freddy. That's how it all started," Van Avermaet explains.

Ovett's friendly personality has helped him connect with other cycling stars too, including Remco Evenepoel. "He's a very likeable guy who enjoys riding and is good at it. His endurance is extremely strong, otherwise you don't train with guys like Mathieu or Remco. He provides Van der Poel with company during training while benefiting from the sporting challenges for his own gravel races."