Mathieu van der Poel adds road race to Tour de France prep

“It’s great to be back on the mountain bike,” Van der Poel said the day before the World Cup in the Czech Republic. “It’s one of my favorite disciplines, and Nove Mesto is a special course for me. I won my first World Cup here. That’s one of the reasons I’ll be racing on Sunday.”

“There have been a few small changes to the course, but it’s mostly about getting used to riding a mountain bike again. I haven’t ridden one in a while, but it’s not my first time here. It was good to have a few extra days here, and it actually went better than expected. I trained here with Sam Gaze, which was a lot of fun,” said the Dutchman. “This race didn’t fit perfectly into my schedule, but I really wanted to ride here. It was my own choice, and I’m curious how it will go.”

Van der Poel will start from the fifth row. “That’s pretty crucial in mountain biking. You need some luck at the start, and with wide handlebars, it’s hard to pass on narrow courses. The key is to stay calm and look for the right moment to move up. I want to have fun and get used to the mountain bike again.”

The Dutchman says he’s been able to prepare well for the upcoming period following the spring classics. “I’m happy with my form, though it’s not top yet. It’s fun to be able to race again, and that it fits in the schedule. But it’s mostly about enjoying it. After the Tour, I’ll start focusing more specifically on mountain biking. This race is more of a stop along the way.”

Leading up to the Grand Départ in Lille, more prep races are in the works, according to Mathieu. “On Monday, I’ll head with the team to our usual high-altitude training camp in La Plagne, and then I’ll race the Critérium du Dauphiné as part of my Tour de France prep,” he explained. It will be his first time racing the Dauphiné, which this year also features Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

After the Tour de France — where Van der Poel sees several stages in the first week that suit him — the focus will shift to the Mountain Bike World Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in September. “As we approach the Worlds, I’ll start training specifically on my mountain bike. But first, I’m curious how Sunday’s race will go.” The race in Nove Mesto begins Sunday at noon (local time, i.e. 6 AM EDT) and will be broadcast on Eurosport 1 and HBO Max.