When Mathieu van der Poel looks back on where it all began, he speaks with a quiet honesty that strips away the glamour of victory and the noise of fame. “When I first got on the bike, I never thought it would take over my whole life,” he admits, the words carrying both pride and reflection. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in cycling, riding wasn’t something he set out to do for glory — it was simply what everyone did. His father and grandfather had paved the way, but Mathieu’s journey was never about following in footsteps; it was about finding his own rhythm in a world that demanded constant motion.
At first, cycling was freedom — a way to escape, to feel alive, to be in control of something that belonged entirely to him. He didn’t imagine it would become the defining part of his identity. “I rode because everyone in my family did — not because I had some dream of fame,” he says, his tone almost nostalgic. Yet somewhere along the line, what began as a routine hobby transformed into an all-consuming passion. Every race, every training session, every ounce of pressure became part of the story that would shape him into one of the most admired figures in modern cycling.
Through the victories that have put his name in headlines and the grueling moments that pushed him to his limits, van der Poel has come to realize that success comes at a cost. The expectations, the spotlight, and the weight of carrying on a family legacy could have easily crushed him, but instead, they taught him resilience. He’s known for his explosive power on the bike, but behind that intensity lies a rider who values simplicity — the feeling of the wind, the quiet roads, and the freedom that first made him fall in love with the sport.
“Somewhere along the way, it stopped being just a sport,” he reflects. “Every win, every loss, every moment of pain or joy… it all became part of who I am.” Those words capture more than his relationship with cycling; they reveal the emotional bond between a man and the life he’s built around it. For van der Poel, the bike is more than a tool for victory — it’s a part of his identity, something that has shaped not only his career but his sense of purpose.
Even now, after years of triumphs, setbacks, and endless miles on the road, he remains grounded in the same reason he first rode as a boy. “Even now, after everything, I still ride for the same reason I did as a kid — for that feeling of freedom,” he says. In a world obsessed with medals and records, it’s that simple truth that defines Mathieu van der Poel best — not the trophies, not the fame, but the enduring joy of the ride itself.
Leave a Reply