Mathieu van der Poel goes to the Tour of Lombardy with few ambitions. He considers that game too tough for his abilities. “If you look at the course, it is too difficult for me,” says the Alpecin-Fenix leader.
After Strade Bianche (fifteenth), Milan-Turin, Milan-San Remo (2x thirteenth) and Gran Piemonte (third), the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday is the fifth Italian one-day race in a row for the 25-year-old Dutchman. “I’m looking forward to riding this race and putting our climbers in position,” he says of his role. “But that is a different experience. In San Remo, however, I started with the idea of winning. That is not the case in Lombardy. You have to know what your qualities are. And we have to be honest about this: this course is too difficult for me. ”
The benchmark in the final of the Tour of Lombardy is the easy slope Muro di Sormano (1.7 kilometers at 17% average gradient), followed by its dangerous descent. The top is fifty kilometers before the finish in Como. “The goal is to try to survive that wall,” admits Van der Poel. “That is going to be very difficult. After that it is certainly not done with climbing. The Civiglio that follows is also difficult, while the San Fermo della Battaglia (the last climb, ed.) Is reasonably doable. But normally that is beyond my capabilities. ”
Van der Poel and his teammates from Alpecin-Fenix - photo: Cor Vos
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Pushing the boundaries
However, the wolverine of Alpecin-Fenix will do everything to survive as long as possible. “I want to try to last as long as possible. I think we have a number of types in our team who can really climb uphill and survive for a long time. Our goal must be to get someone into the top ten. ” Just like in the preview from Cycling Flash, he considers Remco Evenepoel a top favorite. “Whoever beats Evenepoel on Saturday wins. When he goes, it will be all hands on deck. And otherwise it might have to come from a climber like Bauke Mollema. ”
MVDP uses the course especially for the upcoming races. “Lombardy will certainly make me stronger for the championships (NK next week in Drenthe and the European Championship in Plouay in a week and a half, ed.) That are coming”, he explains. “I want to regain that competition hardness. I think everyone has seen that I get in better shape per game. I need that hardness to really get to my top level. That is why Lombardy can be a good last step in view of the Dutch and European championships. ”
Also read:
Preview Tour of Lombardy 2020
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