'They forced me' - Van der Poel explains surprise Benidorm start and strikes quirky deal with Philipsen

Van der Poel was not originally meant to start in Spain, yet on Saturday he suddenly showed up on the start list. Once the lights went out, the race followed a familiar pattern: control early, accelerate once, disappear. 

“I entered the finishing straight together with Tibor, who rode a really good first lap,” he told Play Sports, referring to Tibor Del Grosso. “We already had a small gap there, and that does not happen very often on the Benidorm course. I wanted to use that immediately, so I decided to go alone.”

The bigger question came afterwards: why race at all, during a period that matters for his road preparation? 

Van der Poel pointed to his teammates for that. “They forced me all week to race, because they wanted to come and watch,” he laughed, explaining that the Alpecin-Premier Tech entourage helped tip the balance.

Still, the decision was not carefree. “That played a part in my decision, of course. But I hesitated for a long time, because my training is very important. During those three weeks in Belgium I basically did not train between the races. As a road rider, it is an important period too.” 

He added that conditions also helped convince him. “The weather played a part as well,” he said, “plus the fact that I had been able to train really well here for two weeks.” 

In the end, one person needed extra persuasion. “I had done enough, in my opinion, to add this cross. I do not think this hour will have much influence on what is coming, but it was mainly the coach I had to convince.”

Alpecin teammate Jasper Philipsen, spectator today, was also present at the post-race interview. Van der Poel suggested the next surprise should belong to Philipsen. 

“We have been pushing him for a few years to ride a cross as well. I think Heusden-Zolder would be a perfect race for him,” he grinned. Philipsen was not rushing to seal it. Van der Poel joked why: “Because of the 80% rule he would be taken out of the race. Not only would I lap him, the rest would too. They sometimes underestimate the level of cyclocross.”

Philipsen countered with his own request, asking Van der Poel to line up for a beach race in return, and the pair will be back on the road tomorrow in Spain as they build toward their first targets in spring, with Van der Poel also revealing this afternoon that he is considering a start at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Philipsen countered with his own request and wants Van der Poel to line up for a beach race in return. The pair will be back on the road tomorrow in Spain as they build toward their first targets in spring, with Van der Poel also revealing this afternoon that he is considering a start at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.