We’ve all been there. Out for a nice little ride, and one little slip-up can seriously derail your day. Well, turns out even the pros have days like us.
Mathieu van der Poel experienced a serious scare during a training ride in Spain this week, but somehow avoided what looked like a guaranteed crash. The Alpecin–Deceuninck leader launched into a short sprint, But then disaster hit. He suddenly lost control of his bike, only to rescue himself with a remarkable save that kept him upright.
Van der Poel was sprinting against one of his training partners, French Conti rider Anatole Leboucher. Leboucher recorded the moment and later posted the video on Instagram.
Yikes! Mathieu van der Poel pulls off a miracle save in Belgium
In the footage, Van der Poel’s chain already slips during their first sprint attempt. The pair line up again for a second go. Aaaaaaannnd that’s where things really go wrong. Van der Poel “spins out,” the bike snaps sideways. He appears like he’s for sure going to hit the deck. With an almost impossible display of balance and strength, he manages to wrestle the bike back under control and avoid a nasty fall.
I mean, we’ve seen some amazing saves by van der Poel in the past, but still!
A crash now would have been a major setback. Van der Poel is set to resume racing next Sunday, opening his cyclocross season at the Namur World Cup. He plans to compete in thirteen races this winter — Benidorm is still uncertain — with the world championships in Hulst, The Netherlands marked as the ultimate goal. In fact, he wasn’t even supposed to start in Belgium, but had been feeling good and upped his schedule.
Great news for us ‘cross fans…but not so much for the others. When guys like MvdP or Wout van Aert show up, it always seems like the usual winners are now competing for second or third. That may change this year with the continued progress of Thibau Nys. He seems to be the heir apparent to Pidcock’s slot as the third of the Big Three.
Check out the save by MvdP below: