Van der Poel hits career best numbers in E3 Saxo Classic win, peloton blown away

The Dutchman held off a late charge from a four man chase group to secure his third consecutive victory in Harelbeke, after going solo 42 kilometres from the finish. His advantage, once close to a minute, was reduced to just a handful of seconds inside the final kilometre, giving the impression of a rider fading.

Data from Van der Poel’s effort shows the opposite. Over the final 90 minutes of the race, he averaged 446 watts, the highest sustained output he has ever recorded over that duration.

Reactions from the peloton ahead of Gent-Wevelgem underline just how exceptional that figure is. Speaking to Sporza, teammate Jasper Philipsen said: “Yeah, that’s insane. It’s something I can’t reach for that long and probably never will. Very impressive. There are only a few riders capable of producing those numbers.”

Rivals were equally in awe. Mick van Dijke called the effort “hard to comprehend, even for us as professionals,” adding: “He did that after already making several efforts. Mathieu might be the strongest rider we’ve ever seen. There’s no shame in losing to him.”

His brother Tim van Dijke was even more blunt: “Those power numbers would give a horse hiccups. It’s incredible to see him reach such a high level.”

The move that decided the race came much earlier. Van der Poel accelerated on the Taaienberg with around 70 kilometres to go, bridged across to the attackers and went clear on the Boigneberg. From there, he rode alone to the finish, extending his lead on the Paterberg and the Oude Kwaremont before settling into a long solo effort.

Behind him, the chase formed late but closed rapidly in the final 20 kilometres, with Per Strand Hagenes and Florian Vermeersch among those driving the pursuit. The gap dropped under ten seconds in the closing stages, but hesitation in the group allowed Van der Poel to hold on.

Post-race the Dutchmen admitted that there were moments where he thought the race might be lost. "Yeah, a few times actually, but, especially at a bit more than one [kilometre] to go, the legs were not really turning well anymore, and then I looked back, and they were really close,” said Van der Poel.

In doing so, Van der Poel joined a select group of riders to have claimed three straight victories at the E3 Saxo Classic, matching the achievements of Rik Van Looy, Jan Raas and Tom Boonen, although this edition proved to be the most demanding of his three wins. “In the end, I made it, but it cost blood, sweat, and tears,” he said.