Mathieu van der Poel in a world of his ahead of Tour of Flanders

No man is an island, but Mathieu van der Poel has long inhabited a peninsula that allows him to live cycling on his own terms. He races where he wants, when he wants, and as he wants.

The world champion’s preparation for the Tour of Flanders has been a case in point. While oceans of ink were poured into outlining the why and wherefores of the unfortunate Wout van Aert’s untraditional build-up to the Ronde, Van der Poel’s far lighter race schedule scarcely warranted a second glance or a whiff of questioning.