Van der Poel waits out Gavere duel with Nys: 'It was very hard to make the difference'
Mathieu van der Poel made it five wins from five this winter with another World Cup victory in Gavere, but he did it in a very different way than the mud editions the course is known for. With the ground frozen and the race run at high speed, the world champion said it was difficult to create gaps, and he admitted he did not expect to be able to drop a flying Thibau Nys.
“Yes, definitely,” Van der Poel said when asked whether it felt unusual to race in Gavere under these conditions. “It was a very different dynamic. It was quite difficult to make the difference. And Thibaut [Nys] was really strong. On this circuit I actually expected that beforehand as well, so I didn’t expect that I would be able to drop him.”
The duel with Nys stayed tight for most of the race, and Van der Poel acknowledged that even following in the wheel was far from straightforward on the icy surface.
“No, it was like I said. He was certainly strong and in these conditions it’s again very difficult to ride really close on the wheel,” he explained. He pointed to the moment that shaped the outcome, when Nys attacked with three laps to go and Van der Poel chose to push through one lap at full speed rather than respond with repeated accelerations.
“Three laps from the end, when he launched his attack, I also decided to really ride one lap hard,” Van der Poel said. “I think he made a small mistake in the wheel and that gave me the space.” The gap opened quickly and proved decisive, turning what had looked like a sprint scenario into a controlled ride to the finish.
Van der Poel admitted that the patience was deliberate, because the race did not reward constant attacking.
“Yes, today it was,” he said when asked if he waited a long time to strike. “It’s just a very difficult race like this. You also see that the differences don’t become very big. So I gambled first on one fast lap in the hope that it would be enough, and it was. Otherwise I think it would have been a sprint today.”
The win also brought him closer to the top of the World Cup standings, leaving him just one point behind the leader Laurens Sweeck. Asked whether that could tempt him into adding Dendermonde on Sunday, Van der Poel said the team had discussed it, but the plan remains unchanged.
“Yes, we doubted, especially with these weather conditions,” he said. “We also had a consultation at the beginning of the week, but it seemed better to stick to the plan. A plan can be changed, but normally not.”
If he does not change his mind, his next cross start will come on Monday December 29 in Loenhout, where Wout van Aert will also be on the start line.
Join our WhatsApp service
Be first to know. Subscribe to Domestique on WhatsApp for free and stay up to date with all the latest from the world of cycling.
