Mathieu van der Poel's 2024 classics season begins on 16 March with the first Monument Milan-San Remowhere he is the defending champion. This is clear from the race programme published by his team Alpecin-Deceuninck on Friday. Compared to the previous year, he Strade Bianche (2 March) and Tirreno-Adriatico (4-10 March) as the start of the season. Back in 2022, van der Poel chose Milan-San Remo as the first race of the season. Back then, he finished third.
Mathieu van der Poel: Starts planned for four cobblestone classics
Following Milan-San Remo in 2024, van der Poel is scheduled to take part in the 22 March at the E3 Prize will contest his first Belgian classic in 2024. This will be followed by Gent-Wevelgem (24 March)the Tour of Flanders (31 March) and Paris-Roubaix (7 April) three more cobblestone races. The 29-year-old has already won the Tour of Flanders twice (2020 and 2022) and Paris-Roubaix in 2023.
At the following Ardennes Classics, a start at the Amstel Gold Race (14 April) in the racing calendar and also Liège-Bastogne-Liège (21 April) could take the reigning cross and road world champion under his wheels. "La Doyenne" appears in his racing calendar with reservations. He has already won the Amstel Gold Race in 2019. The all-rounder competed in Liège-Bastogne-Liège once: in 2020, when he finished sixth.
Mathieu van der Poel's spring classics programme at a glance
One thing is already clear: van der Poel's record from the previous year will be difficult to top. In 2023, he won Milan-San Remo, came second in the E3 Prize, second in the Tour of Flanders, first in Paris-Roubaix and he also took the rainbow jersey in the Glasgow road race at the World Cycling Championships in August.
