Mathieu van der Poel has described himself as 100 percent ready for Paris-Roubaix after a solid ride at the Scheldeprijs, which ended with the ideal outcome for Alpecin-Deceuninck when Jasper Philipsen took the victory.
With more than half an eye on Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel opted to work in the earlier phases of the sprint leadout, rather than take any risks, but he still came away more than satisfied with his form.
The Milan-San Remo winner and Tour of Flanders runner-up Van der Poel is now targeting Paris-Roubaix, where he finished third in 2021 and ninth last year.
He came away from Scheldeprijs convinced that the mid-week race had formed an ideal part of his preparation for the cobbles of northern France next Sunday.
“It was definitely the best choice to start. A 200 km race with a strong team is better preparation than a training ride. I always found the gap between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix difficult, so this Wednesday race was ideal,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.
“The team did a fantastic job and we actually always stayed out of trouble. I am 100 percent ready for Paris-Roubaix.”
Van der Poel explained that getting involved in the finale would have been too risky, so he did a long turn on the front until two kilometres from the finish. His teammates then guided Philipsen into position perfectly, with the Belgian taking the win ahead of Sam Welsford (Team DSM) and Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan).
The one moment where Van der Poel probably did not feel so great at Scheldeprijs came when mid-race he received a ‘present from the sky’, courtesy of a passing bird, with the large poop landing on his helmet. Van der Poel laughed off the incident, while some considered it a sign of good luck for Paris-Roubaix.
Philipsen explained that while he would one day look for a Paris-Roubaix win himself this Sunday the Alpecin-Deceuninck team plan would be based entirely round success for Van der Poel.
He also had some fulsome praise for Van der Poel’s contribution to his Scheldeprijs victory, telling Belgian media “Only Mathieu can put in a turn as long as that.”
“Paris-Roubaix is the last race of my spring and Mathieu is in super shape. We will try to lead him to victory by entering the final with as many riders up front as possible. Two years ago I was in the early break and I was able to fulfil that task,” Philipsen said.
