Mathieu van der Poel still battling pneumonia after the Tour: Dutch star reveals his race schedule for the coming weeks

Van der Poel had to leave the Tour de France after the second rest day with pneumonia. “It's always difficult to stay healthy in a Grand Tour because you come into contact with a lot of people and you don't sleep in the best hotels. Unfortunately, this year it was my turn to get sick,” Van der Poel explained.

That decision was difficult to accept. “It was definitely a disappointment, especially because there were some great stages in that last week, including the final stage. But anyway, there's nothing we can do about it now.”

“In the meantime, things are going reasonably well,” he continues. “I've still been struggling with it, but things are starting to improve. The Sunday after I withdrew, I was able to cycle gently for the first time, but it took a good week before I could resume more intensive training. I was able to get back on track in Spain.”

What do the coming weeks look like for the Dutchman, who already indicated at the beginning of this year that he is aiming for the World Championships in mountain biking? “Normally, that's still the case. I want to see how it goes in the Renewi Tour first and then the Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets, France.”

VDP will also be seen on his mountain bike in the Belgian forests next week, with the Renewi Tour in between. “That's to get some race rhythm, then the focus will be back on mountain biking,” said the Alpecin-Deceuninck team leader. Whether he will defend his title at the World Gravel Championships in Valkenburg after the Mountain Bike World Championships in October is still too early for his team to decide.

August 20 - 24: Renewi Tour
August 31: Mountain biking World Cup Les Gets, France (to be confirmed)
September 14: Mountain biking World Cup Crans Montana, Switzerland (to be confirmed)