#23 - Week 4/4 in Spain

Here it is, the final week of my month in Spain. As I am now a few days back in the Netherlands, it feels like a distant past. A month that might not even have happened, an alternate reality.

When I decided to go to Spain, which was summer 2024, I had no idea of what to think of it. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. A month filled with amazing people, new insights and lots of things to be grateful for.

The fact alone that you are able to get so close to pro cyclists is unprecedented in other sports. And that is what makes it so cool. You can just go to Calpe around january and get smashed by every pro cyclist you have watched on tv.

I will be doing a separate recap on where you should and should NOT go if you are in the area of Calpe.

Today is a more expansive recap of my ride with Mathieu van der Poel. If you have seen my reel, here are my personal thoughts and some other things I could (and would) not put in the reel. What was it like? How did I manage to ride with him? And did I actually get dropped?

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THE FINAL: Road to Mathieu van der Poel

The idea originated on a ride I did, I recall the exact location I got the idea for this series. It was in a ‘Polder’ near Zoetermeer, just a kilometer later I filmed the intro for the Road to Not Getting Dropped by Remco Evenepoel.

You might be thinking, Remco Evenepoel? Yup, it used to be Remco, but the day after posting the reel he had his accident. And the other big cyclist that lives in the area is, ofcourse, Mathieu van der Poel.

So the series shifted to Mathieu van der Poel. I made videos with my new bike, how I fuel for a ride with the Foodcoach and seeing Mathieu on my first cross ever. That on it’s own was a journey that would have been cool.

Before I went to Spain, I just had spoken to Luke Verburg, as he is also affiliated with Dynamic Bike Care. There was no contact with any of the other riders. And definitely no contact with Mathieu van der Poel.

Making contact

The big goal for me was to make contact with him. He had seen some of my stories, just as Freddy Ovett did (who I did not tag in that particular story, so that was interesting). But there was not a reaction on my message on Instagram (he also still has not seen it). People had spoken to him about the challenge, so I knew he was aware.

The problem was the World Championships Cyclocross and his vacation after. Meaning he was not even there for most of my stay.

At the 3rd week of my stay, I was giving up hope. This came because I had contacted the Press Spokesperson of Alpecin-Deceuninck. He responded with the fact that Mathieu lives there and they wanted to respect his privacy. I respect that fully.

I made the video where I directly called out Mathieu, as the last push for the series. No reaction.

So I had given up hope. A friend of him told me that my biggest chance was just randomly finding him, and there was not a big chance of actually meeting up.

What happened on that ride

On friday I went for one of my last loops on the Coll de Rates, no expectation and some interval. And that is where I found him. I followed them down to Tarbena, and let me tell you: They are amazing descenders.

I was pushing my own descending skills and they were (from what I could see) just casually descending around 1,5x faster than me. No wonder I am not a pro.

As they were heading towards Callosa, I stayed in their wheel. They were not pushing anything, and I could easily keep up with them. I got talking with one of the guys in the back, which was a friend of Jordi Meeus. A really nice guy, he owns a bike shop in Belgium and was there a few days to enjoy the sun.

As I told in the reel I got dropped at the climb to Castell de Guadalest. It was cool to see all the guys doing these different protocols on the climb. I can clearly remember Kaden Groves putting his earbuds in and doing his intervals.

I was in the wheel of Mathieu, and it just felt that they were not pushing. I have seen pro cyclists push, and that was not it. So I figured they were riding it easy, and that is where I made my move.

At first, I did not understand what Mathieu said. I heard something like “… does not like that”. Which made me confused. They did not like me asking something?

I got confused. I had rehearsed this moment so many times in my head, and the response that he gave was so different from what I expected that I also kinda froze. In that confusion they were actually dropping me, and it felt weird for me to just keep sticking to their wheel. I did not wanted it to get annoying.

I think if I would have pushed more it would have been possible, looking at my data I could have hold on to their wheel for at least a few minutes. But the confusion was so big I just turned around.

That is where I realised what he said, he said “Oscar won’t like that”. And I kind of figured they were doing some kind of effort, and of course would not like it if a random amateur got talking to your teammate.

To be honest, I felt intrusive towards them. This was not what I thought would happen. I rode to 53.eleven with really mixed feelings.

The photo

They also arrived at 53.eleven (which I already figured), and let me tell you, I felt like a dumbass. I was there, and the guy that I wanted to talk to just pulled up.

By the way, if Mathieu pulls up to the coffee store is like Brad Pitt walking into a mall. Everyone just stops what they are doing and are really aware of what is happening. The guy is a living legend. Not that we should be in awe of Mathieu and treat him like a god, but you see people just changing their behaviour.

I walked inside, and asked the guy (from the bike shop in Belgium) how his climb was. Mathieu was sitting next to him and asked me: “Are you talking to me?”

What happened then was new for me. I was always the tough guy with the series online. But now, in real life, I crumbled. I felt like an idiot.

I was about to leave, when I thought: “Mark, you absolute idiot. You made this series, now you actually have to talk to him right”. And that is what I did.

I went up to him, starstruck, and asked to get a photo together. I stumbled my way into asking him if he had seen the series. And he had. That picture of me with him is me just nearly shitting my pants.

I wished him a good season and left. Both amazed by what happened and feeling like I had to talked to my highschool crush and she refused me.

Reflecting on it all

The chances of me meeting him were slim, but the universe can make things happen. It might not be the way I imagined it, but it happened. And I am happy it did. It showed me that with willpower I can make things happen.

Looking back on it, I am imagining so many different ways it could have happened. What if I asked something different? What if I waited until we got to Castell de Guadalest? What if I talked more to him at 53.eleven?

In the end, I think what I did was the way it should have been. I did what I could, and I did not wanted to be annoying. I sincerely hope I was not, and he views this as a funny moment where a guy that was talking big on the internet turned out to be a less big in real life.

They are athletes, and this is their job. And someone like Mathieu van der Poel gets talked to by some many people that he simply does not have the time for everyone. From what I have seen, he is a really fun and chill guy.

What’s next?

I have the thought of doing the Not getting dropped series, but with other pro cyclists. More in a repeatable format where different pro cyclists are going to smash me on different climbs or sections. So if you know any pro cyclists that are willing to be part in this, please send them to me!

Next to that, I have seen the preparation of the pro cycling scene from up close, and want to experience the classics. So I am planning to do more adventures around the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Roubaix. Perhaps even joining a team car (working on it).

And I will be going to the Pyrenees in summer, I want to experience that region for myself.

Things

• Mondo Duplantis, the record breaking Pole Vaulter from Sweden has just broken his own world record for the 11th (!) time. Next to that he also released this banger. The guy is insane.

• I listened to this interview with Jack Conte (founder of Patreon) on the current creator economy. Really interesting stuff and gives a good look in how the current market has changed.

• Listened to this podcast about Hormones and how they influence your daily life. Really interesting stuff, and would recommend just listening to this one if you have the time!

• My account has not been growing as much in the last few weeks, and that gnaws on me. Which should not. I am comparing myself a lot to other people, and see others getting more followers and views. It’s a bad habit, but also one that made me grow because I love competition. Not every swing is a hit.