Dutch Olympic cyclist races with mud soaked £250k watch after £415k Lamborghini stunt
While Cyclo-cross may not have the prestige of the Tour de France, Mathieu van der Poel is doing his best to help it catch up. The Dutchman is a megastar across three disciplines on two wheels, and is letting the world know that the job doesn’t pay badly either. The Dutchman ran his new timepiece through its paces in the French mudGetty It’s not the first time he’s made a statement in orange eitherAD Van der Poel, who also competes in road and mountain biking, won the cyclo-cross world championships for a joint-record seventh time at the weekend in France, and flashed the goods straight after. Crossing the finish line in Lievin pasted in mud the 30-year-old held up seven fingers, but it was something else that caught the eye. Van der Poel had been competing in the wintery conditions with a €300,000 [£250,000] watch from new Swiss sponsors Richard Mille. The ‘RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat’ also featured orange straps, the Netherlands’ sporting colour and therefore Van der Poel’s. That’s not the only expensive piece of equipment he has in orange either. At the end of 2024, Van der Poel arrived at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in a €500,000 [£415,000] Lamborghini Revuelto. On neither occasion did the showing off prove a distraction, as the former Olympian and Tour de France stage winner won both events. Clearly not low on confidence, he even won despite a flat tyre in one round, later explaining: “That happened after the first material post, so I had to ride on a flat front tyre for quite a while. I took it carefully, because I was really afraid of material problems. I also asked to increase the tyre pressure a bit. “I wanted to discourage the rest right away, and I succeeded.” Richard Mille seem to be experts at picking their athletes, with tennis icon Rafael Nadal wearing a £1million timepiece for much of his later career. Van der Poel made sure the world got a good look at his new additionAFP The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum also made headlines in October when a reporter asked if he was wearing a kid’s watch but it was in fact a £200,000 item from the Swiss brand. They also have plenty of exposure in Formula 1 too, with Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz all involved in mugging incidents while wearing their watches in public.
While Cyclo-cross may not have the prestige of the Tour de France, Mathieu van der Poel is doing his best to help it catch up.
The Dutchman is a megastar across three disciplines on two wheels, and is letting the world know that the job doesn’t pay badly either.
Van der Poel, who also competes in road and mountain biking, won the cyclo-cross world championships for a joint-record seventh time at the weekend in France, and flashed the goods straight after.
Crossing the finish line in Lievin pasted in mud the 30-year-old held up seven fingers, but it was something else that caught the eye.
Van der Poel had been competing in the wintery conditions with a €300,000 [£250,000] watch from new Swiss sponsors Richard Mille.
The ‘RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat’ also featured orange straps, the Netherlands’ sporting colour and therefore Van der Poel’s.
That’s not the only expensive piece of equipment he has in orange either.
At the end of 2024, Van der Poel arrived at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in a €500,000 [£415,000] Lamborghini Revuelto.
On neither occasion did the showing off prove a distraction, as the former Olympian and Tour de France stage winner won both events.
Clearly not low on confidence, he even won despite a flat tyre in one round, later explaining: “That happened after the first material post, so I had to ride on a flat front tyre for quite a while. I took it carefully, because I was really afraid of material problems. I also asked to increase the tyre pressure a bit.
“I wanted to discourage the rest right away, and I succeeded.”
Richard Mille seem to be experts at picking their athletes, with tennis icon Rafael Nadal wearing a £1million timepiece for much of his later career.
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum also made headlines in October when a reporter asked if he was wearing a kid’s watch but it was in fact a £200,000 item from the Swiss brand.
They also have plenty of exposure in Formula 1 too, with Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz all involved in mugging incidents while wearing their watches in public.
