No Mathieu van der Poel at the Giro d’Italia this year, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down. After a stellar spring campaign, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is taking a well-deserved break from racing—though not from hard training.
In fact, Van der Poel is already back at it, logging heavy training sessions in Spain. As always, fans can follow his progress online, this time thanks to his training partner Freddy Ovett. Ovett has shared some behind-the-scenes glimpses, revealing just how brutal their sessions have been.
And it’s obvious: Van der Poel isn’t just putting others through pain—he’s feeling it too. On one of Ovett’s Instagram reels, MVDP commented “Kitchen reopened,” referencing how exhausted both riders looked after their ride. Ovett responded, “A painful but high-quality kitchen!”
Ovett and Van der Poel ‘double parkup’ after VO₂ max session
On Sunday, Ovett, likely with Van der Poel, completed a grueling 200-kilometer ride through Spain’s Calpe region, located between Alicante and Valencia. The ride, featuring nearly 3,000 meters of climbing, took six hours to complete. Ovett logged the effort on Strava with the title “Double parkup.” Van der Poel, however, has stayed away from Strava lately.
Interestingly, that long ride might not have even been their hardest effort. On Friday, May 9, the pair endured a punishing VO₂ max workout that left them completely drained. Ovett titled the ride “Hello darkness (VO2) my old friend,” referencing the famous Simon & Garfunkel song.
Van der Poel is currently in Spain to gear up for the Tour de France Grand Départ in Brittany, as well as his upcoming mountain bike races later in the year.
