Van der Poel Wins GP Wallonie Ahead of World Championships

Mathieu Van Der Poel did not disappoint in his final preparation race ahead of the World Championships

It’s no secret that MVDP is one of the favorites for the biggest one day race of the year, World Championships. After a successful spring, and an incredible Giro d’Italia Van Der Poel struggled in the Tour de France, before withdrawing from the race early. This definitely left us wondering if he’d be able to pull his form back together ahead of Worlds, or if he’d be smoked for the rest of the season.

The GP Wallonie offered us one final look at MVDP ahead of the worlds in Wollongong. Coming off back to back wins in Belgian pro kermesses, Van Der Poel seemed to be going good, but we hadn’t seen him against some of the worlds best in some time, until today.

The race was controlled the entire day by Alpecin, and Wanty as they set the final up for MVDP and Girmay. It was Dylan Teuns who launched an incredible attack on the final climb, but wouldn’t be able to stick it as Wanty was keen to close the gap for Girmay.

In the end, Van Der Poel came out of the final tight corner with unmatched explosive power, carrying his momentum all the way to the line, and taking his 3rd win in his last 3 races. This win will not only boost his own confidence, but it also sends a message to his competitors ahead of worlds.

At 200km GP Wallonie is a fair test for Van Der Poel ahead of worlds. While Alpecin decided to skip the world tour races in Canada, MVDP did beat Girmay in the final sprint in dominant fashion. Girmay finished 3rd place on the first day in Canada, but DNF’d the harder day in Montreal. The worlds course is a combination of both the Quebec race, and the Montreal race, however the finishing circuit is more similar to the Quebec circuit where Girmay finished 3rd. This performance means, MVDP is on it to win and honestly looks a bit sharper than Wout Van Aert just a couple weeks out.

MVDP is ready, and he’s definitely one of the top favorites for world championships in Australia.

Check out the Start List For Worlds to see who MVDP is up against, and stay tuned for our post on our favorites for the race.

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