
The Cobbled Classics Begin: Mathieu van der Poel Versus The World
From Beyond the Peloton Podcast by Spencer Martin
February 28, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
Spencer Martin and Andrew Vontz preview the upcoming cobbled classics and discuss various cycling topics.
Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz discuss the upcoming weekend of racing at the unofficial season opening on the Belgian cobbles with Omloop Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, where Mathieu van der Poel will take on the field while Wout van Aert continues to struggle to get, and stay, healthly, before veering into a wide range of topics, including the continuing trend of road pros turning to gravel, and if the worst WorldTour roster could compete on your local group ride. Weekend Preview: Cobbled Classics Kickoff Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Podcast Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe
People in this episode
Host: Spencer Martin
Guest: Andrew Vontz
Topics covered
- Cobbled Classics
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Wout van Aert
- road pros
- gravel racing
- WorldTour roster
Keywords
- cobbled classics
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Wout van Aert
- gravel racing
- cycling
- Omloop Nieuwsblad
- Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Choose the Hard Way Podcast
Places: Belgium
More episodes of Beyond the Peloton Podcast
- Giro Debrief & Unbound Looks Miserable · June 5, 2026 · 40 min
- Giro d'Italia Week 3 Check-In · May 30, 2026 · 47 min
- Is the Giro d'Italia Broken? · May 23, 2026 · 52 min
- Giro d'Italia Week 1 Check-In: Vingegaard's GC Fight Already Tougher Than Expected · May 16, 2026 · 50 min
- Who Will Win the 2026 Giro d'Italia? · May 7, 2026 · 39 min
- Is AI Cycling's Next Marginal Gain? · May 2, 2026 · 1h 15m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Beyond the Peloton Podcast podcast page.