Mathieu van der Poel comes back to the competition after the Tokyo Olympic Games injury and comes back to win. The Alpecin-FENIX captain crossed first the finish line of the Antwerp Port Epic race ahead of Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) after a crushing final sprint. At the third position we find another Alpecin-FENIX cyclist, the Belgian Tim Merlier. What a great performance for Alpecin-FENIX team!
It was an important test for Mathieu which skipped the Benelux Tour but opted to race in Antwerp to see if he would be fit for the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders and the postponed Paris-Roubaix.
“It’s nice to win. I missed some important goals but I am happy to be back,” Van der Poel said. “The back gave some problems in final hour but it didn’t bother me as normal. I am relieved. I have to wait to see how I react but this race isn’t like Roubaix or Worlds. We’ll decide this week.”
Welcome back Mathieu!
