Cycling
“Boy, you’re third”: Politt’s luck in Flanders
First place Mathieu van der Poel (M) from the Netherlands celebrates on the podium with second place Luca Mozzato (l) from Italy and Nils Politt. photo
© Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP/dpa
After a decade and a half, a German is once again on the podium at the Tour of Flanders. Nils Politt only reached the finish in fourth place.
“I’m really happy with it. Being on the podium in Flanders is something very special. This is my second podium at a monument after Paris-Roubaix,” said Politt in Oudenaarde. In 2019, the Cologne native came second in the “Hell of the North”. On Sunday things will go up a notch. Roubaix is the real highlight of his classic season; the completely rainy Tour of Flanders was, so to speak, training under extreme conditions.
Pushing on Koppenberg
However, in order to be at the top in Roubaix, Politt has to solve a huge task. He has to reach the finish before Mathieu van der Poel. The road cycling world champion not only won Roubaix last year, but also showed at “De Ronde” on Easter Sunday that he is currently untouchable.
Just 45 kilometers from the finish, the Dutchman literally left the competition at the dreaded Koppenberg. The 22 percent steep climb had actually become unrideable due to the rain, but van der Poel somehow found a line and pulled away. Almost all of the pursuers had to get off their bikes and push their work equipment on the slippery cobblestones. In the end, van der Poel was over a minute ahead of his hunters, whose sprint was won by the Italian Luca Mozzato.
However, the weather and the average speed, which had never been so high at 44.5 kilometers per hour, also took their toll on van der Poel. “It was all about survival today. Because of the weather, it was the toughest circuit I’ve ever ridden,” said the 29-year-old. “Winning Flanders in the World Cup jersey is a dream come true. I’m completely exhausted.”
Rain and tailwind in Roubaix
Van der Poel won the Ronde for the third time and thus moved into the circle of record winners. In addition to him, only six other drivers have achieved three successes so far. And in Politt, on the unofficial Belgian national holiday, a German reached the podium for the first time in 15 years. Heinrich Haussler last achieved this in 2009 with second place, before he gave up his German citizenship a good year later to compete for his native Australia.
With his strong performance in Flanders, Politt also deserves to be the favorite alongside van der Poel on Sunday. The road to Roubaix is completely flat, which suits the powerful Schlaks from the Rhineland better than the Flemish Ardennes. An epic edition is also on the horizon. It’s supposed to rain all week in the north of France, but there’s a good tailwind for most of the route.