What is sporting greatness? To some, it may be watching Lionel Messi gliding across a football pitch before scoring for Argentina, or maybe a bowler tearing through a team to win a Test match. Or perhaps it's the sight of one man - resplendent in the world champion’s rainbow jersey - entering into the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux to a wall of noise, after conquering cycling’s toughest one day race once more.
Mathieu van der Poel did just that on Sunday after an untouchable performance across the harsh French pavé that gives Paris-Roubaix its legendary status in cycling.
The Dutchman became the first rider since Rik Van Looy in 1962 to complete the Roubaix and Tour of Flanders double in cycling’s holy week as world champion, something not even the likes of Eddy Merckx managed to achieve. This was a feat of pure magnificence, of rippling talent and a perfect exhibition of supreme race craft.
Van der Poel is simply on another planet right now. As he walked out of the velodrome after receiving his second Roubaix trophy, he would have no doubt seen the huge plaques adorning the walls in the corridors of the media centre as he made his way to his winner’s press conference.
Roger de Vlaeminck, Francesco Moser, Fausto Coppi, Fabian Cancellara, and more, all line the building's corridor of greatness in what could only be described as a Classics hall of fame.
Van der Poel’s second victory was him firmly rubber stamping his status alongside all of the riders to have triumphed here. He now stands shoulder to shoulder with cycling’s mythical figures as one of the sport’s greatest ever one day racers.
As the son of Adrie van der Poel and the grandson of Raymond Poulidor, cycling history runs through his veins. Roubaix, and all of its legacy, is part of his DNA and he seemed destined to usurp his father’s own palmarés, all before reaching the age of 30.
Van der Poel rightly sees his Glasgow World Championships victory as his crowning moment, his magnum opus on the bike. But dominating the Hell of the North and winning by a stunning three minute margin is a feat you would have associated with Coppi or with the cannibal, Merckx, himself.
Feats such as this already litter cycling’s history books, but Van der Poel continues to add his own chapter of immortality.
With just under 60 kilometres to go on Sunday, the select group of favourites surged onto the Orchies sector. Van der Poel then took flight, leaving the likes of Mads Pedersen floundering in a cloud of dust kicked up from the cobbles.
Using his Canyon race bike like a sculptor uses a chisel on a piece of stone, he then carefully shaped the race exactly as he intended, with his three minute victory margin the end product of an afternoon of toiling in the dust.
“It definitely isn't normal to win all these races,” he said post-race. “I could only dream of this when I was a kid. Also, the rainbow jersey makes it even more special of course. I could never have imagined all the races I win now. I just focused on cyclo-cross when I was younger.
“It's really amazing and I really tried to enjoy the last part of the race which I couldn't do in Flanders because I was really on my limit there. Today I felt better still in the final so I really tried to enjoy it because it's a special moment and it won't last forever.”
It seems commonplace of late to question the entertainment value of performances such as this, to suggest the dominance of Van der Poel, or the likes of Tadej Pogacar, is boring.
The beauty of sport and entertainment is its subjectivity and its ability to generate discussion. But to fall into the trap of referring to a masterpiece such as this as boring would be folly in my view.
Instead, as Van der Poel said himself, we should try to sit back and enjoy the moment. The achievements of sporting figures such as Messi have never been tagged as boring or questioned. The Argentinian’s ability with a ball at his feet is instead likened to the work of legendary artists and craftsmen, and the Dutchman deserves similar.
For now, the only thing to do is sit back and revel in such brilliance. Figures such as the reigning world champion don’t come around often, so enjoy it while it lasts.
