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Spring Classics

Van der Poel Welcomes Evenepoel Rivalry but Warns: "Don't Underestimate Him"

CYCLING LOOKOUT • 4 APRIL 2026

Mathieu van der Poel has addressed the elephant in the room ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders, insisting that Remco Evenepoel's surprise debut is "not a disadvantage" for the field — but cautioning rivals against dismissing the Olympic champion's ability to cause major disruption in the Flemish Ardennes. The Dutch star speaks from a position of authority: he is the two-time defending champion and, if anything, appears energised by the arrival of the most electric new entrant to the Classics in years.

"It is actually not a disadvantage for me that Remco is racing," Van der Poel said at Friday's pre-race press conference in Antwerp. "But you should certainly not underestimate him either. He has trained a lot on the course and prepared specifically for this. You should take him very seriously." The comments reflect the nuanced reality of Evenepoel's debut: while the Belgian has no Monument experience on cobbled terrain, he has been conducting covert reconnaissance rides on the Flemish climbs since December, and his team have structured their entire spring around this single, unexpected appearance.

Van der Poel's own preparation has been meticulous. Victory at the E3 Saxo Classic last weekend showcased his undiminished ability to accelerate on the bergs, while he was part of the decisive moves at Gent-Wevelgem before supporting Jasper Philipsen for victory. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has spoken of his preparation as a "copy-paste" of previous winning campaigns and drew particular satisfaction from the way his legs responded in the final kilometres of E3. "A week later, I won the Tour of Flanders," he noted, the implication clear: the signals are all pointing in the right direction.

The prospect of facing Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert, Evenepoel and a fully motivated Mads Pedersen simultaneously is, by any reckoning, the most formidable Flanders field in modern memory. Van der Poel, Pogacar, Van Aert and Evenepoel have only raced together in one-day competition on two previous occasions — the UCI Road World Championships in Leuven (2021) and Glasgow (2023) — making Sunday's 278km from Antwerp to Oudenaarde a genuinely historic gathering of talent. Van der Poel won the most recent of those meetings, the 2023 Worlds in Glasgow, and arrives as the man to beat on home cobbles.

Pogacar, the two-time defending Flanders champion, heads into the race amid lingering questions about the lasting effects of his heavy crash near the Cipressa at Milan-San Remo, where he nonetheless recovered to win. The Slovenian has been emphatic in dismissing any injury concerns, but Van der Poel's E3 form suggests he may find Sunday's race a different proposition to the two previous editions, in which Pogacar's solo power was decisive on the Oude Kwaremont. With Evenepoel capable of acting as a foil — or forcing the pace in ways that benefit the chasers — the tactical geometry of the race is harder to predict than in previous years.

Van Aert, in particular, will have a point to prove after his agonising defeat at Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he attacked alone with 30 kilometres to go and was caught in the final 100 metres by Filippo Ganna. The Visma-Lease a Bike man's aggression at Dwars door Vlaanderen was a reminder of what he can do when unleashed, and his team will arrive in Antwerp with a specific plan built around their captain's capacity for long, devastating efforts on the climbs.

What Sunday promises, above all else, is chaos. Four riders of historic calibre — each with a plausible path to victory — line up in a race that punishes tactical errors and rewards those who read the Kwaremont and Paterberg correctly. Van der Poel has read them correctly twice in a row. Whether Evenepoel's spectacular debut, Pogacar's relentless power, or Van Aert's kamikaze ambition can alter that pattern is the question that will keep Flemish fans awake through Saturday night.

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