Everyone was waiting for him. They had already sewn the Maglia Rosa on him as soon as he announced his presence at the Giro d’Italia. This stage suited him perfectly. He couldn’t miss it. And Mathieu Van der Poel, like the champion he is, carried all the expectations on his shoulders, put the team on the pace throughout the stage, was patient on the final climb to Visegrad and in the last 200 metres he unleashed all the power of his wonderful engine. And although he was the big favourite, winning was far from easy: 150 riders were out there coveting that jersey which takes you straight into legend…
The Dutchman, son and grandson of art, had already embarked on the road to legend some time ago, but today he wanted to set another milestone, wearing a symbol that father Adrie and grandfather Raymond Poulidor had never had the honour of wearing. Once again, it is worth remembering the palmares of this 27-year-old phenomenon: he has won the Tour of Flanders twice, the Amstel Gold Race once, the Strade Bianche once, four times world champion in cyclocross and European champion in cross country MTB. A versatile superstar, a league of its own, who still has many goals to achieve, as he himself admits.
