From cobbles to asphalt? Van der Poel becomes Lamborghini ambassador (and gets one himself)

Mathieu van der Poel will be hoping to continue his blazing form in the summer’s tours, but right now, he seems to be basking in the glory of his spring performances by becoming the ambassador for Lamborghini Antwerp and getting a shiny new SUV for himself as well.

Van der Poel has enjoyed a pretty spectacular spring season, winning two special Monuments, outpacing his rivals with sheer tenacity, mounting commendable attacks on cycling calendar’s some of the most revered sectors, and maybe having a little luck on his side.

But while he’s taking a well-deserved rest and preparing for a similarly successful Tour of Switzerland next month — and the Tour de France in July after his disappointing spell in the early stages of last year’s Tour, it looks like he’s also getting himself some new wheels — four, to be precise.

Van der Poel announced via his Instagram that he is now an ambassador for the Italian luxury sports car and SUV brand, posting a picture next to his new €300,000 SUV Urus S, which he would drive for free ‘at least for a year’, if the Lamborghini Antwerp director Erik Michiels is to be believed.

> Check out the unreleased Canyon Aeroad Mathieu van der Poel rode to Paris-Roubaix victory

The Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported Michiels saying “MVDP stands for ‘drivenness, unparalleled winning mentality, and groundbreaking performance’”, which might irk his long time Belgian nemesis Wout Van Aert, who’s meanwhile trying to put his monument near misses behind him with a series of monster seven-hour stints on the gravel roads and muddy lanes of Belgium and France.

The Dutch cyclist claims to be an admirer of fast cars since childhood, and the Urus S which can go from 0-100kmh in 3.5 second and has a top speed of 305kmh, had him in a giddy.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lamborghini_Antwerp (@lamborghini_antwerp)

We were left wondering what use will these specs be to him if he wants to win more on the cobbles, but Van der Poel reassured that he won’t be testing the limits of his new car on the Flemish roads, instead taking it for a spin to Zolder or Francorchamps, also adding that he’s obtained the license for driving on Belgian circuits (who knows we might see him trade a seat with his countryman Verstappen).

> Wout van Aert heads on epic post-classics bikepacking trip and “champagne chase”

Van der Poel also admitted that he chose the iconic 'Grigio Telesto' grey colour for his SUV instead of something brighter as he didn’t want to stand out too much, although he also said that he'll be using the numberplate ‘I MVDP I’.

The Dutchman is coming off the high of winning Milan San-Remo in March, after an explosive acceleration on the Poggio, and following the footsteps of his late grandfather Raymond Poulidor who won the Italian monument 62 years ago.

And two weeks ago, he won the 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix in the fastest time ever after John Degenkolb’s crash and Wout van Aert’s puncture left the  Alpecin-Deceuninck cyclist solo, giving him his second monument victory in the year and fourth of his career.

> Mathieu van der Poel wins fastest ever Paris-Roubaix after Wout van Aert puncture drama

On his way to victory in France, he rode an unreleased Canyon Aeroad, an interesting choice with Van der Poel going for an aero road bike rather than an endurance bike with special features designed to filter out vibration from the unforgiving pavé.

At the launch, he did make one comment that might turn some heads at Canyon, admitting that “this feels more special than testing a new racing bike”.

However, he once again was quick to reassure that there will be no trace of Lamborghini on his cycling jersey. But let's be honest, would anyone be surprised if the car and SUV manufacturer decided to sponsor a cycling team?

And finally, with a cycling name as big as VdP signing with Lamborghini, you'd expect social media to return a handful of chuckles. And to our delight, it didn't disappoint.

Kind regards,
UAE Team Emirates pic.twitter.com/3p4Uvc1HUm

— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) April 22, 2023

He also received one from ‘EF Education’ pic.twitter.com/rwv5HkPVk5

— Hatsjoe (@_Hatsjoe_) April 22, 2023

Omg, when did Matthieu become a Soccer Mom?

— Beckie Kathleen 🏳️‍🌈 (@_NeuroticBarbie) April 22, 2023