A soft pull, a subtle dig in an interview, a side eye on the start line. We are in the ten days running up to the Tour of Flanders, a period defined by the battles in the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem (now In Flanders Fields), and Dwars door Vlaanderen, but the real game between the favourites is much deeper than that.
These ten days are also about scoping your opponents out, learning to read their team, even getting into their heads when you can. The number of turns traded in a race or the specific words said at the finish line might seem minor, but they can add up as the tension builds towards the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
During In Flanders Fields on Sunday, we knew already that Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) were going to try to test each other in some way, as they have been doing since they were literal children. Be it on the climbs, with attacks or even in the lead-out, they would show each other some of their cards, while also not revealing too much.
Even on the start line, the pair's long-running psychodrama was clear to see. Lining up next to each other, they were caught on camera awkwardly not speaking, and avoiding eye contact even as their teammates and other rivals chatted around them.
The pair don't not get along, and you'll often see them chatting in the peloton, but when it comes to race days where they're the favourites, their relationship turns to rivalry.
In the end, In Flanders Fields was won by Jasper Philipsen, but it was really all about Van der Poel and Van Aert. The pair broke away from the bunch on the second ascent of the Kemmelberg, soon catching and going through the breakaway. On the third time up the race's key climb, it was Van der Poel's turn to dig in, climbing faster than Van Aert but not doing enough to actually dispatch him.
And so the duo went into the finale together, primed to work together to try and hold off the bunch and sprint for the win between them, at least that's what it looked like. It wasn't quite the truth.
The pair exchanged words a couple of times as they shared turns on the front, which turned out to be Van Aert just asking for basic information about the gap, owing to a broken radio, not any tactical planning.
The Belgian looked to be committed to the move, smelling his first chance at a Classics victory since 2024. While Van der Poel gave every impression he was working towards the same aim, taking his turns dutifully, his efforts were marginally shorter and less powerful.
Of course, he had a perfectly good reason to take soft pulls, having his sprinter in the group behind. The plan paid off for Alpecin when the attack was caught and Philipsen got the win. But more so than Alpecin beating Visma, it was a subtle win for Van der Poel over Van Aert, rubbed in by his words at the finish.
"I said quite quickly today on the radio, I didn't feel well recovered, so I think I did a defensive race, just following and doing what was necessary, not too much," Van der Poel said.
The implication: 'That was you really trying, Wout? I wasn't even giving 100%. And therefore, imagine what it will be like when I am next week'.
He followed up with: "Like I said, I'm in good shape, I knew it would be difficult to be at 100% after my effort on Friday, and next week it will be very difficult against Tadej."
Or, 'You're not even who I care about for Flanders, Wout'.
Sure, Van der Poel's actual meaning may be much more harmless than I'm hamming it up to be, but it's significant. It's a small dig, a small reminder that Van Aert's real effort could only follow Van der Poel on an off day.
And this is what these final days before the Tour of Flanders are all about. Even Van der Poel returning to Spain to train – on a private jet no less – means something. He doesn't have to bother himself with riding Dwars door Vlaanderen, he's already won enough, whereas Van Aert still has something to prove. While he opted out of the E3 Saxo Classic, he doesn't have the luxury of a week of warm weather training.
These games will continue in the race on Wednesday, and then in the press conferences on Thursday and Friday, subtle comments and bold statements designed to lay out each rider's stall in front of their rivals.
On Sunday, the race won't be decided by tiny things, but big blows traded over many, many bergs. But those tiny things do matter. They'll be on everyone's mind as they line up in Antwerp in a week's time. A percentage point less confidence here, a sprinkle of doubt there. If you let it get to you, you might end up more rattled than your bike over the cobbles. May the games continue.
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