🎥 Van der Poel steps up road-season prep with rare time trial bike session

Van der Poel has come out of winter with yet another hugely successful cyclo-cross campaign behind him. The serial winner started his run from his very first cross of the season at the Citadelcross and, twelve races later, he was still unbeaten. With overall victory in the World Cup and a historic eighth world title in the bag, Van der Poel will return to the road later this spring.

The big question is: when will we see him pinning on a number again? There is a chance the Dutch star could open his road year as early as the Opening Weekend. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the first realistic opportunity to see Van der Poel in action on the road in 2026 — but it is far from certain. Earlier this year, he made it clear there is still a sizeable question mark over that plan. “In any case, I’ll decide that only in the week beforehand,” he explained at the time. So we should have clarity soon.

Whatever the final date ends up being, one thing is clear: Van der Poel is leaving nothing to chance in his preparation. After his win in Hulst, he returned to his regular training base in Spain, where he has been logging plenty of miles in the sunshine — including a notable ride alongside Remco Evenepoel and riders from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe. And it’s not just endurance work: there has also been plenty of hard graft in the gym. Now, he has added something else to the mix: he has been seen riding his TT bike.

You don’t often see Van der Poel on the “chrono” machine, but he has shown more than once that he can deliver against the clock when needed. Last year, he finished sixth in the time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and five years ago he produced a superb ride to defend the yellow jersey in the Tour de France in an individual time trial. A dedicated TT training session might be unusual for him — but judging by the footage, he looks comfortable… and very fast. His friend Freddy Ovett captured it on video.