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

“This feels more special than testing a new racing bike,” said the Paris-Roubaix winner about the new partnership (that might ruffle some feathers at Canyon)

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.

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.

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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8 comments

Avatar
Off the back | 11 months ago
0 likes

Lets get this straight. British Cycling get lambasted for having a sponship deal with a petroleum company, yet its ok for a pro tour cyclist being associated with a brand that makes cars that not only use petrol but drink the stuff and spit out fumes at an outrageous amount IS OK?  

23MPG and emissions of 320g/km 

Double standards?!?!?

Avatar
Adam Sutton replied to Off the back | 11 months ago
4 likes

Double standards would be the co-founder of extinction rebellion shopping a load of imported food in waitrose and driving off in a diesel car.

In the real world, shock horror, a lot of "cyclists" also drive and like cars, didn't really give two hoots about British Cyclings sponsorship, and rolled their eyes at the perceived outrage.

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Grahamd replied to Off the back | 11 months ago
0 likes

But that mpg figure is better than the Ineos Grenadier 4x4.

 

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ITK2012 replied to Off the back | 11 months ago
0 likes

Most people who own these cars barely drive them, so the emissions are irrelevant compared to someone in a much smaller car who drives a lot. 

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ChuckSneed | 11 months ago
0 likes

I would have thought he would go with someone like Mercedes or Audi or BMW because of how much of a massive chav he is

Avatar
LookAhead replied to ChuckSneed | 11 months ago
11 likes

At least the other trolls on this site tend to display some wit and charm--of which you seem to possess neither--and have some angle they're pushing. You, on the other hand, just drop by to dump a few ignorant and combative hot takes in the comments and then whine about it when people take issue with you.

Serious questions for you to think about: Why do you come here and post the garbage you post? What are you hoping to get out of it? Is it working out for you?

Avatar
stomec replied to LookAhead | 11 months ago
4 likes

Honestly I just think Chuck is not a nice person. I assume they are just young and ignorant and I hope they get better as they mature. 

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max power replied to ChuckSneed | 11 months ago
0 likes

Vag own lambo if that helps. But how is he a chav, assaulting 13 and 14 year old girls, wearing a baseball cap and a horrendously ostentatious watch? Eh fair point.

Chav:

"engaging in aggressively loutish behavior especially when in groups and for wearing flashy jewelry and athletic casual clothing (such as tracksuits and baseball caps"

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