{"id":428933,"date":"2026-02-16T16:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/428933\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:45:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:45:11","slug":"van-der-poel-has-wild-heart-rate-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/428933\/","title":{"rendered":"Van der Poel Has Wild Heart Rate Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated February 16, 2026 04:43AM<\/p>\n

Mathieu van der Poel<\/a> set pulses racing in the endurance and wellness communities last week when he shared his freakish resting heart rate and HRV data.<\/p>\n

\u201cA resting heart rate of 38? An HRV of 200? <\/p>\n

\u201cWTF?!?\u201d<\/p>\n

But hold the hype train.<\/p>\n

Those anomalous data points don\u2019t mean Van der Poel is some superhuman. [Although his ability to foil Tadej Poga\u010dar in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix may suggest otherwise.]<\/p>\n

Yes, MVDP\u2019s resting heart rate and heart rate variability [HRV] scores make him a physiological outlier. But without context, his data doesn\u2019t really mean much at all.<\/p>\n

Van der Poel breaks the internet with WHOOP revelations
\n\"VanVan der Poel wore the classic $300k watch and WHOOP strap combination at the 2025 Tour de France. (Photo: Gruber Images )<\/p>\n

Van der Poel discussed his heart rate deets in the latest episode of the WHOOP podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For those out of the loop on WHOOP<\/a>, they\u2019re the bands strapped around the wrists of businessmen, biohackers, and athletes all over the world. They track sleep, movement, and heart rate data to spit out sleep scores, recovery markers, HRV, and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n

The U.S. brand partners with Van der Poel\u2019s Alpecin-Premier Tech team, and has supported EF Pro Cycling.<\/p>\n

In the podcast, WHOOP CEO and show host Will Ahmed probes his monument-munching guest on his very notable vital statistics. Van der Poel\u2019s WHOOP reports an HRV averaging around 200, and a typical resting heart rate of 38bpm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really high in HRV. I have this discussion with a lot of friends. I think it\u2019s a bit genetic maybe as well, but fitness is also important,\u201d Van der Poel said.<\/p>\n

And Van der Poel\u2019s resting heart rate?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe average is 38, the lowest that was recorded I think is 34. But I think a lot of endurance athletes have this. The heart is really well trained,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Certain niche segments of the internet exploded. Those stats are several deviations away from any average.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old\u2019s resting pulse \u2013 a strong indicator of cardiovascular health \u2013 is maybe 20 beats lower than that of a \u201cnormie.\u201d His HRV score might be more than twice that of us 4 w\/kg dribblers.<\/p>\n

But what do those numbers actually mean, really?<\/p>\n

What is heart rate variability, anyway?
\n\"GarminSmartwaches, OURA rings, and WHOOP straps can all measure HRV. This shows the HRV score spat out of a Garmin watch. (Image: Garmin)<\/p>\n

The heart doesn\u2019t beat a steady 4\/4 tempo suited to The Beatles. Instead, it pulses at a scattered, syncopated rhythm more suited to a jazz drummer.<\/p>\n

Heart rate variability is the variance in time between those beats.<\/p>\n

The better rested the heart, the more erratic the rhythm, and the higher the HRV.<\/p>\n

A high HRV signals that the body is in a more parasympathetic, relaxed state. The body\u2019s autonomic nervous system has the bandwidth to endure a set of VO2 Max intervals or a bout with Poga\u010dar on the pav\u00e9.<\/p>\n

A lower HRV indicates the nervous system is tilted toward a sympathetic state. You\u2019re taut, stressed, and less able to manage fatigue.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why heart rate variability data is one of the best available measures of relative levels of stress and rest.<\/p>\n

As this study<\/a> reaffirmed, it can help gauge whether you should switch your intervals to a recovery ride, if you\u2019re getting sick, or if you\u2019re worn out by work.<\/p>\n

HRV naturally declines with age, and is lowered by multiple risk factors for poor health. Studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle and regular training can increase variability.<\/p>\n

WHOOP straps, Oura rings, and most higher-end smart watches can measure HRV, provided the wearable is worn 24\/7.<\/p>\n

Why does Van der Poel\u2019s HRV data mean, really?
\n\"VanVan der Poel\u2019s HRV score would have tanked after five and a half hours of suffering at Roubaix. (Photo: Gruber Images )<\/p>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s HRV score of 200 stands out.<\/p>\n

The WHOOP website indicates users of his age typically have a heart rate variability in the range of 55-105. This crusty no-hoper has a baseline HRV in the 60s.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t indicate MVDP is at least two times \u201cbetter\u201d than Joe Blogs or three times \u201chealthier\u201d than me [although his power numbers suggest otherwise].<\/p>\n

As Van der Poel acknowledges, everyone\u2019s heart rate variability is unique. HRV scores differ by gender and race<\/a> and fluctuate further within a given population. Who knows? Poga\u010dar\u2019s baseline HRV might be 50.<\/p>\n

And while baseline HRV can serve as a strong indicator of well-being, it\u2019s the daily deviations from an individual\u2019s average that are most important.<\/p>\n

For example, Van der Poel will know he\u2019s primed for Paris-Roubaix if his HRV is at 250, a score 50 points higher than his norm. Contrastingly, he\u2019ll know he\u2019s in for a hard ride if the number is tracking down in the 100s \u2013 a score that\u2019s significantly higher than that of the average population, but very low for him.<\/p>\n

So yes, Van der Poel\u2019s HRV is crazy high. Only gifted athletes and genetic outliers might have those numbers.<\/p>\n

But in isolation, an HRV of 200 doesn\u2019t really mean anything.<\/p>\n

Heart rate variability should be considered relative to an individual\u2019s own dataset. It\u2019s not an absolute measure that\u2019s relevant for comparison.<\/p>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s resting heart rate: Impressive, but not unknown
\n\"\"You can bet that the majority of the pro peloton has a resting heart rate in the high 30s or low 40s.<\/p>\n

And Van der Poel\u2019s resting heart rate [RHR]?<\/p>\n

That is an eyebrow-raising stat that can serve as a reference point for comparison.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s long been known that a low RHR can indicate better physical fitness and lower risk of cardiac illness.<\/p>\n

Studies agree that 60-100 is a \u201cnormal\u201d RHR for a healthy human. Van der Poel\u2019s resting pulse of 38 is so far from that, he\u2019s basically a blue whale.<\/p>\n

But MVDP is not that unique, really \u2013 especially among the sporting elite.<\/p>\n

Five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indur\u00e1in famously tested at 28bpm, and marathon GOAT Eliud Kipchoge reportedly averages at around 33. French Biathlete Martin Fourcade once shared images suggesting his RHR was 25.<\/p>\n

After decades of being a distinctly average rider, runner, [and writer], even my resting heart rate is in the 37-39 range.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more interesting about Van der Poel\u2019s heart rate data is that, per WHOOP, he can max out at 190bpm+. The huge headroom in his resting cardiac capacity may be a more telling sign that he\u2019s a physiological dominator.<\/p>\n

Why do teams and athletes use HRV and heart rate?
\n\"\"EF is one of the many teams that use HRV to track well-being. The team partnered WHOOP for many years (see Carapaz\u2019s left wrist). (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n

Van der Poel explains in the WHOOP podcast that he uses his resting heart rate and HRV to monitor how well he\u2019s recovered from training.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n

Almost every team in the men\u2019s and women\u2019s WorldTours will be tracking trends in their riders\u2019 HRV and resting heart rate as part of a wider monitoring system. These scores provide an objective early warning of overtraining or sickness<\/a> that medics and trainers correlate against an athlete\u2019s mood, training load, and daily physical markers.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why Van der Poel\u2019s eyebrow-raising heart rate and HRV scores mean relatively little to you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the variances in heart rate data that matter most when assessing health and well-being, not the absolutes.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated February 16, 2026 04:43AM Mathieu van der Poel set pulses racing in the endurance and wellness communities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[138632,4985,45284,101,65145,66159,52041,157223,65146,45288,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-428933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-audio-true","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-parent_category-road","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tag-alpecin-deceuninck","13":"tag-tag-behind-the-ride","14":"tag-tag-evergreen","15":"tag-tag-heart-rate-variability","16":"tag-tag-mathieu-van-der-poel","17":"tag-type-article","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}