‘This wasn’t the plan’: Mathieu van der Poel reveals ‘incredible legs’ after stunning 174km solo before Worlds

The Alpecin-Premier Tech star attacked on the first uncategorised climb of the fifth and final stage and never saw the peloton again, completing the longest solo winning effort of his career just one week before the World Championships road race in Montréal.

Van der Poel eventually crossed the line 1:04 ahead of Mikkel Frølich Honoré, securing his second stage victory of the race and his eighth win of the season.

Yet afterwards, he revealed that there had been no grand tactical plan behind the move.

“I have no idea. It wasn’t the plan before the start,” Van der Poel said in the flash interview when asked what had prompted his early attack.

“I just found myself alone right at the beginning of the race, and I simply rode at my own tempo all day.”

Initially, Van der Poel did not expect his adventure to last particularly long. A six man chase formed behind him, while several teams later committed riders to the pursuit from the peloton.

Van der Poel, however, continued to hold a sizeable advantage.

“At first I thought the chasers were going to come back,” he explained. “But I just kept riding at my own power, and then the gap started growing again. That was when I decided to go all the way to the finish.”

Even with Decathlon CMA CGM, EF Education-EasyPost, Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step contributing to the chase, Van der Poel still carried an advantage of around three minutes into the final 30 kilometres.

Mikel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost) eventually escaped from the peloton and reduced the gap, but there was never any serious threat to Van der Poel’s victory.

The performance inevitably raised questions about what it might mean for next Sunday’s road race in Montréal, particularly after a week in which Van der Poel had not always felt at his best.

His answer offered perhaps the most significant warning to his Worlds rivals.

“I hope so,” he said when asked whether the ride gave him confidence for the World Championships. “I had incredible legs today.”

That feeling had been missing earlier in the Tour de Luxembourg.

“The last few days, they weren’t really the legs I wanted,” Van der Poel admitted. “I came from Spain and maybe I trained a little too much. But today I felt really good.”

Van der Poel leaves Luxembourg with two stage victories, having also won the opening stage, while Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike) secured the overall title.

With the World Championships in Montréal now just a week away, Van der Poel was particularly encouraged by how he felt on the final day.

“Above all, it’s the feeling from today that is important,” he said. “I always like coming here. It’s a really nice race and it’s well organised, so I’m happy to win the final stage.”