Alberto Bettiol, Mathieu van der Poel - Tour of Flanders analysis
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Updated 08/04/2019 at 08:52 GMT
Simon Gerrans said he was “seriously impressed” with Alberto Bettiol as he claimed a shock victory at the Tour of Flanders, although Bradley Wiggins spotted a future winner in Mathieu van der Poel following his epic ride.
Alberto Bettiol of Italy and Team Ef Education First
Image credit: Getty Images
Bettiol (EF Education First) secured the first win of his professional career with a stunning performance at the Tour of Flanders, with a decisive attack at 18km to go setting him up to claim the second Monument of the season.
The 25-year-old stayed clear of a chasing pack full of big names to take the most unexpected of triumphs. Gerrans, who retired from professional riding at the end of last year, was a team-mate of Bettiol’s at BMC in 2018.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Bradley Wiggins Show, available on all major podcast platforms this Monday morning, Gerrans said of his former colleague:
“Bettiol and I were team-mates last year and I actually roomed with him quite a bit, and he had such a troublesome season last year.
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Watch the final kilometre as Bettiol holds on to win the Tour of Flanders
“He was seriously underdone at the beginning of the year, he had put a lot of effort into his pre-season so he was carrying a bit of weight throughout the year. He had several really untimely crashes - I think he broke his collarbone two or three times - so just a year with constant interruption.
To see him start out this season with such consistent performances and then obviously to get the first win of his professional career at the Tour of Flanders, I am seriously impressed.
If Bettiol’s win was the main headline from an action-packed Tour of Flanders, the recovery of Van der Poel also caught the eye as the Belgian overcame a nasty crash to finish fourth.
The former cyclo-cross world champion has had a stellar 2019 so far, claiming victories at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Grand Prix de Denain, as well as finishing fourth in Gent-Wevelgem. His father, Ari, won the Tour of Flanders in 1986 and Wiggins expects Van der Poel to become a Monument winner too.
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Van der Poel goes over handlebars in nasty crash
“He is a class act,” said Wiggins. “He is the future. He will win this race one day like his father. He is overperforming for his age. We will be talking about him in 10 years’ time as winning this race.”
Listen to the full episode for more from Wiggins and Gerrans on:
- Thoughts on Peter Kennaugh's 'indefinite break' from cycling
- What Simon is up to now and whether there are more psychopaths in the peloton or the City
- What’s it like to ride with the Yates brothers - and how they differ
- And the ‘Ultimate Rider’ – the guys each come up with their all-time dream riders to comprise the ultimate Tour champion
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