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Meet The Eternal Second, Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel is a Dutch cyclist who has built a name for himself in the mountain biking, cyclocross, and road racing communities. He is often considered the sport’s most promising future. People are shocked at how one individual can excel in three distinct sorts of sports.
Mathieu had a good junior season in which he won 32 out of 32 matches.
At the age of 20, Mathieu became the youngest elite men’s global cyclocross champion.
He has amazed everyone he met later in his senior career.
He recently made headlines after carrying the yellow jersey for six days at the 2021 Tour de France.
He is one of the few people who like riding for reasons other than name and celebrity.
Early Years | Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel was born in Kapellen, Flanders, Belgium, on January 19, 1995.
Poel was born in Belgium but is of Dutch origin.
Mathieu was born as the youngest son of Adri van der Poel and Corinne Poulidor.
His father was Dutch, while his mother was of French descent.
Both his maternal and paternal sides of the family are cyclists.
His maternal grandpa is the legendary Raymond Poulidor, a popular French rider.
Mathieu’s father, meanwhile, has won Tour de France stages, one-day classics, mountain bike titles, and cyclocross races.
Mathieu van der Poel was approximately 17 years old when he joined the Belgian Alpecin-Fenix squad.
“When I was 18, Philip Roodhooft noticed me. They invited me to ride for them as potential.
“Mathieu joined me two years later,” Mathieu’s older brother, David, explained.
In his early career, he won several cyclocross events and junior racing titles.
Early Career | Mathieu van der Poel
The Dutchman began his junior career in 2009/10, but it wasn’t until the 2012/13 season that he accomplished something extraordinary.
He won all 32 races he competed in that season, including the world championship.
He outperformed his older brother, who won 25 of the 30 events.
Mathieu was the more skilled cyclist of the two.
David remarked on Mathieu’s accomplishments throughout his junior career,
“Mathieu possessed all of the abilities; everything was a vast playground for him.”
He was braver, more agile, and could always climb quicker than me.”
Mathieu began his career at BKCP-Powerplus before joining Beobank-Corendon, exactly like his brother.
As a junior, he also reached the top of the international rankings.
Cycling Style | Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel lacks the sprinters’ speed, but he has the raw, vast power to cycle through a long-distance attack.
That is mostly how he strives to win the race.
His winning style and attitude have attracted many cycling fans over the years, yet this tactic may be unrewarding at times since it is dangerous.
The 2019 World Championship, which was held in Yorkshire, was one such occasion.
Mathieu tried a long-distance attack, but he couldn’t maintain up until the end and ended 11 minutes behind first place.
In an interview with Velo Magazine in March 2020, he revealed that he sometimes attacks too early.
Though it is hazardous, he has demonstrated that he is a master of the style and knows when to strike.
He has donned the yellow jersey that his bicycle grandpa never had the opportunity to wear.
Mathieu van der Poel’s Skill
Every now and again, an athlete appears who is simply too talented for the sport and has a dominant personality.
Mathieu is the cycling equivalent of Babe Ruth in baseball, Steph Curry in basketball, and Roger Federer in tennis.
Poel has demonstrated that he is a versatile rider capable of winning crowns in a variety of events.
He was the 2013 junior road winner and the 2013 Cyclocross World Championship titleholder; being able to achieve such a feat at a young age, he was likened to the greats.
Lars Boom and Zdenek Stybar, two of cycling’s finest riders, have never won a world championship at such a young age.
At his age, they did not have a record as good as Mathieu’s.
Renaat Schotte’s remark
Renaat Schotte, a journalist and field reporter who has covered cycling for over 25 years, feels that Mathieu is something unique.
He stated in 2017, and we quote,
“I believe he has the makings of a Grand Tour rider.”
I’m confident that if he focuses on road racing, he’ll be a GC (General Classification) competitor in the future; there’s no doubt about that.”
His prognosis was correct. Mathieu van der Poel went on an outstanding performance on the Tour de France in 2021.
On the second day, he grabbed the lead and did not relinquish it until the next week.
“It’s been an incredible week for the team and me; we won two stages and had yellow for six days.”
“It was my first Grand Tour, and I believe we can be proud of it,” Mathieu added.
He left the race after his sixth day in the yellow jersey to train for the forthcoming Olympics.
Mathieu van der Poel | Cyclist’s Family
Adrie van der Poel, Mathieu’s father, is a former world cyclocross champion, having won the title in 1996.
Classics specialist Papa van der Poel won the Amstel Gold Race, Tour of Flanders, Clásica de San Sebastián, and Tour of Flanders.
In the 1983 World Road Championship, he finished second behind Greg LeMond.
In addition, he has five silver medals from competing in the World Cyclocross Championships.
Raymond Poulidor, his mother’s grandpa, was a French road cyclist who spent his whole career racing for Mercier.
He won the Vuelta an Espaa in 1964.
He has also finished on the podium eight times in the famed Tour de France race, although he has never won the Tour de France championship.
Poulidor won the Fleche Wallonne and Milan-San Remo one-day races.
In addition, he finished in the top three in the World Road Championship but never won it.
After such a successful career, he earned the moniker “the everlasting second.”
Mathieu’s older brother David was the first of the two brothers to create a name for himself in the junior division.
David was on fire in his second junior season, winning 25 of 30 races.
He also won the 2009/10 Junior Cyclocross World Cup series and finished sixth in the 2016 World Championship.
The Genetics of the Family
Many cycling fans and sports pundits believe that Mathieu’s alien success is due in part to genes from both sides of his family.
Mitochondria, which are located in animals’ cells, provide energy and control respiration; this system has its own DNA and is handed down from mother to offspring.
In addition, his father was an avid biker.
Mathieu and his brother David are the offspring of two important cycling genes.
Mathieu’s grandpa was not a big winner, but he had panache and the public’s affection.
Furthermore, his father was an accomplished rider with several trophies to his name.
He appears to have inherited his father’s winning genes and his mother’s determination.
A second-generation athlete benefits from hereditary respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems.
Furthermore, he was exposed to professional training at a young age and grew up affected by an athlete diet.
When we combine all of these characteristics, we create super athletes who can do the impossible.
Net Worth of Mathieu van der Poel
The compensation of the Dutchman is thought to be over $4 million.
Furthermore, his yearly pay is $2 million.
Outside of his racing profession, he does not appear to have much going on in his life.
As of 2021, we may fairly presume that his riding profession is his sole source of income.
Relationship | Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu is not married and does not have any children.
At the moment, he is dating Roxanne Bertels.
She works as a fashion blogger in Antwerp, Belgium.
Her precise birth date is unknown at this time, although she is 29 years old, two years older than Mathieu.
She enjoys cooking, decorating her house, and traveling.
She enjoys visiting destinations with breathtaking vistas or historic architecture.
Roxanne also adores the sea; she enjoys having sunburned and tanned skin.
She has shared several images of herself relaxing by the pool or at the beach.
Meanwhile, she occasionally gives blood and encourages blood donation on Instagram.
She also owns a Shiba Inu, a Japanese hunting dog, named Lola as a pet.
She also enjoys wearing fashionable clothing.
She enjoys flaunting her exquisite clothes and ensembles on Instagram.
Roxanne also shares Mathieu’s Instagram tales.
Trivia by Mathieu van der Poel
When it comes to movies, his favorite is Welp, and when it comes to music artists, his favorite is NF.
Poel has often emphasized that the Olympics are his primary aim, and nothing else stands in his way.
Raymond Poulidor, Mathieu’s grandpa, has been described as his hero.
His most embarrassing experience was when he crashed during a video shoot for an advertisement.
Mathieu usually packs his 4Gold Whey powder when he travels.
He stated that if it hadn’t been for this job, he would have been a musician.
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