'The difference in level is quite shocking' – Resignation and realism among Classics riders

Over in Catalunya, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is reducing some of the world’s best climbers to also-rans, and the same sense of resignation is washing over the Classics campaigners in northern Belgium.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) were already the two leading cobbled one-day riders, by some distance, but this year that distance seems, from within the peloton, greater than ever. On Friday, the pair effectively reduced the E3 Saxo Classic to a two-way pursuit match.

Read more: E3 Saxo Classic: Mathieu van der Poel powers to victory as Wout van Aert crashes

At the start of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, rider after rider was asked how they might manage to beat Van der Poel, who'd got the better of that tussle and recorded the biggest solo victory in the history of the race.

"I don’t know,” shrugged Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), recent runner-up at Milan-San Remo. “He’s pretty much unbeatable at the moment.”

"I don’t know,” echoed Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), former world champion and one of the ‘best of the rest’. “We try but even there, at E3, we have four guys and he is still capable of beating us. This guy is just the best in the world and it’s not easy to deal with.”

Pedersen was one of the few riders still at least scratching their heads. For many on the rungs below, they’ve simply ceased to entertain the idea.

"Today, if you speak to Mathieu, he will say ‘I race for the win’. Anybody else who says that, they’re not really being 100% honest," Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen told GCN.

Read more: 8 riders to watch at Gent-Wevelgem

Naesen was reduced to a bit-part player at E3 due to a puncture on the crucial climb of the Taaienberg, but he was under no illusions that he could have got anywhere near Van der Poel, who won by a minute and half, or Van Aert, who recovered from a crash to catch and then leave behind everyone else on the Oude Kwaremont.

"It’s quite shocking from within the race as well,” Naesen said of the difference in level between that pair and the rest.

"When the difference between the top guys and yourself is so high, it’s not demoralising at all actually, because there’s not much you can do. It’s natural. I’m just being honest actually. You can just do your best and finish where you finish. What else is there to do?”

Naesen has had a relatively fallow few years in the spring Classics, but he’s a former Belgian champion with podiums to his name at Milan-San Remo, E3, Gent-Wevelgem, plus a couple of top 10s at the Tour of Flanders.

But the level that netted him those results, and made him dream of bigger things, seems to count for very little in 2024.

"I often analyse my races afterwards, and many times on the climbs where I’ve done my best results and my best efforts, I see the times are getting beaten day in day out. There’s really not much you can do if that’s the case.

"Right now I’m in really good shape, even if it’s not the best ever. But my top shape today only allows me to aim for like… you know like in Omloop when I was fourth – that was a great result – or in E3 I’m certain I would have ridden for top 10 without my puncture.

"That’s where I’m at. I have a really high level, I’m really pleased with it, but to say I’m going for the win in these races. I will not forbid myself, of course, but I cannot say it’s realistic.”

For the latest news, interviews and analysis from the world of professional cycling, be sure to check out the Racing tab on the GCN website and visit our essential guide to the spring classics to stay up to date with all of the action from cycling's most exciting season.