No Ardennes hills, but Van der Poel dusts off the gravel bike during his spring break

Mathieu van der Poel's spring had its share of highs and lows — brilliant victories alongside frustrating near-misses. After a demanding opening to his season, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider has taken a break from racing, but that doesn't mean he's sitting still. He has chosen to dust off the gravel bike.

Van der Poel launched his classics campaign in February, after taking almost a month's rest following his cyclocross winter. His eighth cyclocross world title at Hoogerheide was his final race in the mud — then the focus shifted to the cobbles. He returned at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and did so in style, winning with an acceleration on the Muur van Geraardsbergen.

Tirreno-Adriatico followed successfully, with two stage wins. Then came the real targets — but a crash, and a formidable Tadej Pogačar, meant the Milan–Sanremo title went undefended. Van der Poel showed his best again at the E3 Saxo Classic with a victory, and his legs were clearly in fine shape at In Flanders Fields too, even without a win.

The former world champion then lined up as one of the top favourites for the most important week of the spring. At the Tour of Flanders, he was the only rider able to follow Pogačar — but once again the Slovenian proved too strong, with an acceleration on the final passage of the Oude Kwaremont. Second place was the best he could manage.

At Paris-Roubaix, a double puncture in the Arenberg Forest did the damage. Van der Poel came back strongly, but finished fourth.

No Monument victory for the Dutchman — the first time that had happened since 2021. After a busy and somewhat unlucky spring, it was time for a rest. Van der Poel will normally return to racing in the build-up to the Tour de France, but for now the road bike has been set aside. That leaves room for other passions.

Van der Poel has been spotted on his gravel bike on Instagram. In 2024 he showed just how well he handles that discipline too — he won bronze at the Gravel World Championships before claiming the rainbow jersey two years ago, beating Florian Vermeersch in the process. It's no surprise he wants to spend a bit of time back in gravel paradise.