The Curse of Having a Champion Father hasn’t inflicted itself upon Mathieu Van Der Poel like it has other Pro cycling offspring whose names end in Merckx, Roche, Phinney or Zabel for example. While they have all forged solid careers in the family line of business, MVDP has surpassed dad Adri’s achievements at a similar age, with a World Cyclocross Championship that took his father over a decade to achieve already on the palmarés and surely more to come. A future Paris-Roubaix winner in our estimation, it’s going to be a wonderful spectacle watching MVDP and arch-rival Wout Van Aert grinding each other into mud, and eventually cobbles and tarmac for many years to come.

*Who do you think will win Paris-Roubaix first, MVDP or WVA? Comment below and win nothing except the distinction of being a great/lucky pundit or a complete smartarse.