Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutch cyclist representing Alpecin-Deceunick, reflected on his loss at the Tour of Flanders to Tadej Pogačar, whom he deemed clearly stronger. Van der Poel had faced health challenges in the lead-up to the race, reportedly suffering from a cold that affected his training. Despite these struggles, both he and his team director Christoph Roodhooft decisively stated that they would not use his illness as an excuse, acknowledging Pogačar's superior performance on the day.
Van der Poel acknowledged that he wasn't at his best, stating, 'I haven't been so healthy after the E3... I had a bit of a cold.'
Roodhooft confirmed Van der Poel's struggles, mentioning, 'It was an unpleasant run-up... he missed a few training sessions.'
Despite his illness, Van der Poel remarked, 'I'm certainly not going to use that as an excuse, it was clear that Tadej was the strongest.'
Roodhooft noted Van der Poel's health issues leading up to the race, saying, 'He happened to send me a message on April 1 that he was very ill.'
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