Mathieu van der Poel’s ‘batteries recharged’ for battle with Pogačar in Liège-Bastogne-Liège

With one last hurrah to close out the Spring Classics, Mathieu van der Poel has returned from a quick four-day trip to warm-weather Spain and vowed to “give everything one more time” in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. 

The Dutchman looks to pile on a third Monument victory of the season, and a seventh in his career, after dominating already at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It’s not just a battle of attrition across 259km with 11 classified climbs in the hills of eastern Belgium that add up to 4,100 metres of vertical gain, but a second matchup against two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who won Strade Bianche for a second time in March.