Lights, camera, action. All eyes on Mathieu van der Poel. 

“Quiet on set, please,” says the director. “And out of the saddle, Mathieu. Pedal, pedal, pedal. And cut. Thank you.” 

The Dutch rider takes a minute to stretch his legs, then his back. He drops his head for a split second. 

“Okay, we’re going again,” comes the call. 

Van der Poel sits back down on the turbo trainer, squinting slightly at the stage lights which illuminate the set of the latest Zwift video shoot in which he, of course, is the model. And when the instruction is given, he goes again. And again. And again. 

With his Whoop monitor on one wrist, Richard Mille watch on the other, Canyon bike attached to a Wahoo trainer and Shimano shoes on – bedecked with his personal MVDP logo, naturally – all in front of a giant orange ‘Z’, Van der Poel is a moving billboard for his sponsors. 

The advertorial that Zwift are shooting will soon be on our screens during television breaks in the 2025 Tour de France coverage. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is the protagonist, selling memberships and dreams to punters watching at home. Who doesn’t want to look like Mathieu van der Poel on a bike, after all? 

The shoot is on location at Barrandov Studios on the outskirts of Prague, Czech Republic. The studio, which was founded in 1931, has made major Hollywood productions such as Mission Impossible, Casino Royale and Nosferatu – to name just a few. The likes of Willem Dafoe, Tom Cruise and Uma Thurman have acted in front of these cameras and sat in these rooms. We can now add a former world road champion, three-time Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders winner, and one of the most famous cyclists in the world to that list of superstars. Days like this, as Van der Poel understands better than anyone, are part of the job when you’ve reached the level he has in his field. 

I finally get my interview slot with the Dutchman in one of the breaks from shooting. It’s supposed to be his lunch hour, but today is filled with constant requests for Van der Poel’s time. The film crew wants Mathieu. The photographer wants Mathieu. The media wants Mathieu. His phone lights up – the fans want Mathieu. 

“Good day so far?” I ask him, tentatively. 

“Yeah it’s been good. Well, okay,” he replies with a wry smile.

After another breathtaking Classics season, Van der Poel is coming to the end of a period away from racing which included 10 days completely off the bike on holiday in Dubai. When he wasn’t on a sun lounger, he says he was playing golf, a hobby he admits he is getting “a little bit obsessed with”, or watching Netflix’s latest murder mystery series. He makes sure to fit in these small pockets of escape from the circus of professional cycling whenever he can: “I like to really rest, then you’re always motivated to get back to work, to get on to the next goal. It takes a while to get in the holiday mood though. Then it’s already over by the time I start enjoying it.” 

Van der Poel lives life in the fast lane. His choice to juggle the three major disciplines of road, cyclo-cross and mountain biking (and we shouldn’t forget the gravel world title last year either) means that his schedule is non-stop. There is no chance to look back at the scale of what he’s achieved so far. Right now, slowing down is not an option. 

“That’s part of the sport, you think about the next race and not about what you’ve done. That’s in the past – but it’s good that it keeps you busy,” he says. 

For the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, who has been winning world titles since he was in the junior ranks over a decade ago, this is all he’s known. Cycling is in his blood: his father, Adrie van der Poel, is a six-time Dutch National Champion and twice a Tour de France stage winner. His maternal grandfather was Raymond Poulidor, winner of the 1964 Vuelta a España and eight-time podium finisher at the Tour. Mathieu van der Poel has been thinking about the next race for as long as he can remember. 

Mathieu van der Poel winning Paris-Roubaix 2025 (Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“I’ve been doing this my whole life, so it’s what I’m comfortable with, but I’ve evolved since I was a kid,” he reflects. “I remember in the beginning, especially with cyclo-cross, I used to feel a lot of pressure. I was more nervous back then, but every year it’s gotten less. Now, I’m super relaxed – I think that’s my strength. I’ve said a couple of times, I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I would. Everything that follows now is a bonus.” 

It’s true that for a cyclist who competes with such savage, single-minded aggression on a bike, the Van der Poel who has been performing in front of a film camera earlier today and who now sits speaking to me, is incredibly calm and understated. If I didn’t know the facts of his palmarès, or spot the €200k designer bling on his wrist, I wouldn’t equate the person opposite with the racer I see attacking repeatedly in Classics and Grand Tour stages, smashing over cobbles and bulldozing his way through the peloton. Van der Poel, when he pins a number on his back, is all instinct. 

“I just can go into race mode. I focus on just doing it all right on the day,” he says. “I don’t plan my attacks because I think this only brings stress, like if you have a point in mind where you want to attack in a Classic race, but the road is blocked and you cannot get to the front to do the attack, then the plan is ruined. I just see what happens, and I make it as hard as possible, which works for me.” 

The 30-year-old is part of a new generation of competitors that only really know one speed: full gas. Alongside the likes of Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock and Tadej Pogačar, Van der Poel has been a trendsetter for relentless, long-range moves – in 2024, he won E3 Saxo Classic, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix after being in breakaways for 82 kilometres, 54 kilometres and 101 kilometres respectively. 

“This new generation, we’re used to this way of racing and I don’t mind it – it suits the type of rider I am. Racing with Tadej, he’s also just super relaxed, he enjoys himself and he isn’t afraid of losing. I think even when we don’t feel one hundred percent, we will always give each other one hundred percent and do our turns in front. We both respect that in each other. I would prefer just riding and risking the chance to lose – I think that’s what has helped me win so many races as well,” Van der Poel explains. 

“Those Classics are just chaos and positioning. It’s on for the whole day. From the beginning when I did them, I really loved it – and they are still the highlight of my season. When it’s above 200 kilometres and a tough course, it’s easier to make a difference. It’s honest racing. The strongest riders will be at the front in the end.” 

Racing conditions that would make many cyclists squirm are the ones that Van der Poel looks forward to: think of the carnage, rain and technical demands of Glasgow’s city-centre circuit where he won his road world title in 2023, or the fight on the cobbles lined with fans on De Ronde’s finishing loop. Long Grand Tour sprint stages? “They can be a little bit boring,” Van der Poel laughs. 

That wet day in Scotland where the Dutchman took the rainbow jersey is one that will live long in the memories of anyone who watched it. Van der Poel made his decisive move with 22 kilometres of the 271km race remaining, pushing the limits of his bike, body and mind on the penultimate lap, so much so that he shocked the world when he slid out on a right-hand bend. Bloodied on one side and with a broken shoe, he recovered to increase his lead over the chasers and take victory, collapsing into an exhausted and emotional heap after crossing the line. 

Mathieu van der Poel after winning the World Road Championships in Glasgow in 2023 (Image: Pauline Ballet/SWpix.com)

“It will always be one of the most special victories I’ve ever had and the most important. It was one of my biggest goals to become world champion on the road and when I achieved it, it made me even more relaxed than I was before.” 

In his career so far, Van der Poel has made a habit of achieving his goals. One after the other, he is ticking them off: Amstel Gold Race, Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, a Giro d’Italia stage, a Tour stage, Flanders, Roubaix – there isn’t much left to do for the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider. What keeps him going? 

“The expectation I put on myself,” he states. “This will always be higher than the expectation that other people put on me. I think I’m quite straightforward about this, and I just want to know I’ve done everything I can to prepare for my goal.” 

He points out that his career has not been without setbacks, namely a crash at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics mountain bike race which caused him back pain that sidelined him from racing for three months: “I have had my struggles, but I know that is part of sport at the highest level. Everyone will face a time when things don’t go well and for me, that was always motivation to go and try and come back stronger than I was before, trying to get back from disappointment,” he comments. 

This is why mountain biking is where Van der Poel has set his sights next. While he’s had victories in the off-road discipline before, becoming European champion in 2019 and winning World Cup rounds in that same season, the XCO rainbow jersey has – thanks to crashes and scheduling clashes – so far eluded him. 

“People forget easily in sports, because when I was mountain biking fully before Covid happened, I got those big results. So I know I’m capable of it and it’s not the case that I want to prove to others I can do it, because I know that. I would just love to be world champion in mountain biking so I can have been world champion in all the disciplines I’ve done. That would be something super cool for me and it’s on my bucket list, which is the main reason why I go back to it.” 

With his packed racing schedule, photo shoots, sponsor requirements and train - ing, managing the life of ‘MVDP’ is a tricky job. Support from those around him in achieving his lofty ambitions is a necessity to make it all happen. His bike sponsor Canyon, with whom he has just signed an unprecedented 10-year contract, is part of the puzzle: “It’s nice to have a brand who is invested in different disciplines – perfect actually,” he says. “I am closely involved with the development of the bikes. While I’m not super technical, I can explain what I feel on the bike, not through numbers, and that’s good for them.” 

His team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, with which Van der Poel has been for his whole career in its various iterations, is also an essential thread running through the tapestry. He says that the Dutch squad are more like a family than a team. 

“I think for me, that’s super important to feel at ease and to know everything will always be arranged – no stress and not worrying about stupid stuff that costs energy.” 

Despite fulfilling commercial obligations, like the Zwift shoot he’s on as we speak, Van der Poel’s team ensures that the 30-year-old is relatively protected from the spotlight. Media appearances are few and far between and Van der Poel tends to keep to himself when away from big race periods. While today may be an example of the bright lights and attention that is one part of his life, the Dutch rider likes things low key and normal for the majority of the time. 

“It is a small inner circle, but it’s good to keep it like that. I know which people stood by me when I’ve had down periods – that’s important to me, it’s not something I forget,” Van der Poel says, sincerely. “I know which people I can count on and they know what I give them in my presence, that works both ways.” 

Off the bike, the Dutch rider isn’t trying to change the face of the sport he competes in or get attention for anything other than his results. Winning is Van der Poel’s main priority. 

“If I have a clear opinion about something in the sport, of course I’ll say it, but there are so many opinions out there. Sometimes also the problem is that if you say your opinion then news articles take some words out of context. I often think the best thing is to just focus on my sport,” he says. “It’s difficult to change things and I’m happy with how it is.” 

The reality is that Van der Poel was put on Earth to race bikes. That is why he can’t quite remember the reasons behind the timings of his attacks, or how he got up from his crash so quickly to win the World Championships with a broken shoe, or fully articulate the way he’s managed to take seven rainbow jerseys on the cyclo-cross field. Most of us will never understand it. Van der Poel’s pure intuition is something that cannot be taught. 

Fame, followers and sponsors are something that are a product of his raw, indelible talent, but they are not where Van der Poel’s priorities lie, as his career rolls on: “My general goal is to try and be on this level for as long as possible. When I end my career, I want it to be on a high note, not just riding two or three years extra maybe because it’s better financially. I want to be a rider that stops on a decent level. The most important thing is to just enjoy riding my bike for as long as I’m a professional,” he says. 

Mathieu van der Poel in the yellow jersey at the 2021 Tour de France (Image: Alex Broadway/SWpix.com)

With 54 career wins on the road, many of which came in the biggest bike races on the planet, Van der Poel is realistic that the feeling of success has changed over the years, but the top step of the podium isn’t something that he will ever take for granted. 

“They say you never get used to winning, but for sure, you get a bit used to it. That doesn’t mean it gets less special, it’s even the opposite. I’m coming to an age now where maybe I’ll start to stop winning. There will be time when that happens,” he reflects. 

“Somebody once said that you never know when you have won your last race and this is true. Now I try to enjoy my victories more than I did a couple of years ago, because I know it’s not something that is usual. It’s something I want to enjoy, because you never know when that last moment is coming.” 

Despite the fact he has 1.4 million Instagram followers waiting to see his next post, that he’s filming an advert in a studio that has made some of the biggest blockbusters, with a cohort of at least 50 people dedicated to maximising every moment they have with him today, Mathieu van der Poel is not Tom Cruise, nor does he want to be. Everything he does is for the love of his sport. For the pure drive to win bike races. That is, and always has been, his destiny. When the time comes to hang up his wheels, this is what Van der Poel wants to be remembered for. Everything that comes with it is just noise. 

“I’m proud to be part of this generation of cyclists with riders like Tadej who is going to be remembered for being one of the best there has ever been in cycling,” Van der Poel says. “I want my legacy to be that I was part of the way that we changed bike racing.”