A step forward: Van der Poel's Olympic dream looks bright thanks to Dutch young talent Schellekens

Van der Poel, having been officially notified on Friday that he is to start in row five, can approach his Saturday race with slightly less pressure, yet must still strive to perform at his best: if he reaches his expected form and attains his desired result, he will move even closer to a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games. Previously, team manager Christoph Roodhooft had emphasized that the Dutch team could also count on the Under-23 talents Rens Teunissen van Manen (who finished 21st) and Schellekens to help secure a ticket to Paris.

Schellekens finished fifth in the Under-23 World Championship in Tweed Valley, behind British Charlie Aldridge, Frenchman Adrien Boichis, Swiss Dario Lillo, and American Riley Amos, for which the same ticket rules applied as for the elite men on Saturday: countries that finished highest at the World Championship and did not yet have a ticket for Paris through the established path, could earn one that way. Great Britain (eighth), host country France (second), Switzerland (first), and the United States (fourteenth) are already among the top nineteen countries in the world, so the starting spot passes to the Netherlands, if no strange things happen in the country ranking by the end of May. Sweden also earned a starting spot, at the expense of Ukraine.

National coach Gerben de Knegt sees a fit Van der Poel as his best opportunity for medals in Paris, so it logically follows that the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is gearing up for the Olympic Games, although he still needs to be officially selected. Nonetheless, Van der Poel, who has not ridden the mountain bike this year, will want to prove himself on Saturday.

It is not the case that the Netherlands can now count on two start tickets if the world champion on the road performs well: at the World Championships in Scotland each country could only earn one ticket, which Schellekens has now achieved. If Van der Poel really wants to be sure, he should do the same as Schellekens: the Under-23 ticket will be forfeited if someone in the elite category manages to earn a starting spot.