Van der Poel on Pogacar’s dominance - 'It must feel a bit like racing in the Merckx era'

After the mountain bike World Championships in September, Van der Poel ended his season, still struggling with the after-effects of pneumonia. “The pneumonia that forced me to abandon the Tour was worse than we thought,” Van der Poel said to Het Laatste Nieuws. 

“I tried to start riding again too quickly, but my body was not ready. Mentally and physically, I needed rest. In August and September I really struggled. Normally I train more than I have to, but this time it was the opposite. I skipped more sessions than I finished, and that is never a good sign.”

That need for rest is something many top riders have spoken about. “Even Wout van Aert and Pogačar said they needed mental rest after the Tour,” Van der Poel said. “With Tadej that seems to pass quickly, if you see how he has been flying again lately. I think the pressure on us has grown. The races are harder, the style of racing has changed, and with altitude camps and long preparation periods, it all adds up. As a leader you always have to be ready.”

Van der Poel believes the key is to have a life outside cycling. “It is important to have something next to the bike. For me that is golf. I feel that a lot of younger riders do not have that. They are too focused on the bike. When things go well that is fine, but when they have a setback they get stuck in it.”

He confessed that he watched the World Championships from his holiday in America. “I woke up in time to see the last 130 kilometres. Nowadays that is already the final. I looked at it with the feeling that I made the right decision not to ride. You should not race just because there is a chance to win, because then Pogačar could start alone everywhere.”

Van der Poel sent his congratulations to the Slovenian afterwards. “I texted Tadej to congratulate him. He replied that he was happy I was not there, but I do not think it would have made much difference,” he joked.

He is full of respect for what Pogačar is doing. “It is really impressive, and it looks so easy. I have said it before, the new Merckx might not be the right comparison, because his name is Pogačar, but for us it must feel a bit like it did when Merckx was racing. On his terrain, Pogačar can do whatever he wants.”

Van der Poel remains one of the few riders who has beaten him this year, in Milan–Sanremo and Paris–Roubaix. “That was on my terrain, and even then it was close. On his terrain I am no threat to him,” he said. “It does give extra motivation to be ready again next spring. If you can follow Pogačar and beat him, you are close to victory.”

The Dutchman insists there is no sign of saturation. “I have changed,” he said. “Attractive racing is nice, but in the end you are judged on winning races. As I have got older I have learned to focus on what suits me best, and that has brought me far.”

Despite the disappointment at the mountain bike World Championships, he is not giving up that discipline. “That remains a goal. I will not let go of mountain biking until I have achieved what I want, even if I never do. It is for the same reason that Tadej rides Flanders and Roubaix, to have a challenge.”

For now, rest still takes priority. “I rode the bike once in America for a social event and that went badly,” he said. “Yesterday I went out again, but the bike will probably stay in the garage a bit longer. A few more days of rest will do me good.”