{"id":592707,"date":"2026-04-09T15:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/592707\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:10:11","slug":"mathieu-van-der-poel-i-have-some-talent-that-i-got-when-i-was-born-but-at-a-certain-point-talent-is-not-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/592707\/","title":{"rendered":"Mathieu van der Poel: “I have some talent that I got when I was born but at a certain point talent is not enough.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone wins as much as Mathieu van der Poel does, it can be easy to forget just how much those wins still mean. To see the deeper emotions beyond the celebration at the line. For a rider like van der Poel, who has won seemingly at will and, with generations of iconic cyclists in his family, seemed destined to do so since, as he says \u201calmost before I could walk,\u201d this is no less true.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0This is Home,\u00a0Shimano taps into those emotions. This isn\u2019t an MTV Cribs\u00a0surface-level look at fancy cars, a lot of trophies and a really long highlights reel. This is \u201chome\u201d in the the deeper sense, a home that is a life on bikes.<\/p>\n

That life goes far beyond being born talented. As van der Poel gets into in\u00a0This is Home, talent is not enough in the current generation of super-star cyclists that are re-defining the sport.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mathieu von der Poel with his collection of pet rocks. Wait, no\u2026 Photo: Sterling Lorence\u00a0
\nFrom dirt to rainbows and \u2026 back to dirt?<\/p>\n

All of this come though the lenses of Squamish, B.C. media house, Anthill Films and iconic North Vancouver photographer Sterling Lorence. Despite their out sized rolls in documenting mountain biking over the last 25-plus years, squeezing a bit of dirt into\u00a0This is Home\u00a0isn\u2019t forced. Though there are a few more gratuitous slow-mo shots than you might expect a few days before Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that becoming mountain bike world champion is maybe now the highest thing on my list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hmmm, maybe the slow-mo isn\u2019t gratuitous? Maybe this is van der Poel teasing a more serious return to mountain biking after years of just sort of dipping a toe in as world championships approach? The closing quote certainly seems like a hint.<\/p>\n

Paris-Roubaix looms<\/p>\n

Because of course, a historic fourth consecutive Paris-Roubaix this weekend is also on the list. To do that, he\u2019ll have to combine something never done before with something he\u2019s yet to do this year. The Dutch star is up against a seemingly unstoppable Tadej Pogacar and has yet to get the better of the Slovenian in 2026.<\/p>\n

Anyway, dive in: This is Home visits Mathieu van der Poel.<\/p>\n

This is home: Mathieu van der Poel<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Shimano say about Mathieu van der Poel\u2019s\u00a0This is Home\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ahead of Mathieu\u2019s bid to become the first rider ever to win four consecutive Paris-Roubaix titles, SHIMANO releases \u201cThis is Home,\u201d a new short film featuring Mathieu van der Poel, offering\u00a0unprecedented access and a rare glimpse into the landscapes and daily rituals that continue to shape\u00a0one of cycling\u2019s most compelling athletes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mathieu van der Poel between Monuments. Photo: sterling Lorence<\/p>\n

Known for redefining modern racing across road, cyclocross, and mountain bike disciplines, Van der Poel has built a career on explosive performances and instinctive riding. Yet \u201cThis is Home\u201d shifts the focus away from podiums and toward something more elemental: the routes that quietly support elite\u00a0performance.<\/p>\n

Filmed on familiar training terrains he calls home around Antwerp and Moraira. The film captures Van
der Poel riding through the landscapes that have shaped his career, enjoying downtime with his\u00a0girlfriend, Roxanne Bertels, and their dog, Lola. This is where his generational talent finds the comfort and support needed to achieve mastery. These are the roads where preparation happens. The steady miles, the repeated climbs, the rhythm of a rider returning again and again to the same places in pursuit of mastery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A proud father and a crowded trophy case. Photo: Sterling Lorence<\/p>\n

A Generational Talent
Born into one of cycling\u2019s most storied bloodlines, Van der Poel grew up with the sport woven into\u00a0everyday life. His grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, embodied resilience. His father, Adri van der Poel,\u00a0epitomized discipline. But legacy is not destiny, it is responsibility.<\/p>\n

From a young age, Mathieu showed the ability to make racing feel unscripted. In cyclocross, he\u00a0dominated the Cyclocross World Championships with an almost playful authority. Mud became\u00a0momentum. Obstacles became invitations.<\/p>\n

On the road, he evolved again. Monument victories at races like Paris-Roubaix confirmed his status not\u00a0just as a crossover talent, but as a defining rider of his era. At the Tour de France, he animated stages with fearless intent. Racing on instinct, but never without control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When someone wins as much as Mathieu van der Poel does, it can be easy to forget just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":592708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,13633,18208,82,225430],"class_list":{"0":"post-592707","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-mathieu-van-der-poel","12":"tag-shimano","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-this-is-home"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}