Philipsen and Van der Poel, together in a triathlon? Alpecin sprinter follows his teammate with major swim session

On Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel is set to make his long-awaited return to competition. After a well-earned rest period, the Dutchman will be back in the field at the Cyclocross World Cup in Namur. In recent weeks, however, he has driven the cycling world wild with his much-discussed triathlon training sessions – and it now appears he may not be the only Alpecin-Deceuninck rider considering such an adventure.

The story of Mathieu van der Poel and triathlon dates back to the end of 2023. In a collaboration with YouTuber Average Rob, he made a clear promise: if the video reached 42,000 likes, the Dutchman would take part in a triathlon. The video currently stands at nearly 130,000 likes. A promise is a promise, right? Two years later, the rumours were reignited during a training camp in Spain.

Van der Poel was spotted training alongside Greg Van Avermaet. The Belgian was preparing for an Ironman event, specifically the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in the 40–44 age category. In preparation for that major goal, Van Avermaet managed to convince Van der Poel to join him for a swim session. Van Avermaet himself swam two kilometres in just over 40 minutes, while it remained unclear if Van der Poel did the same.

Running sessions and long rides are, of course, nothing out of the ordinary for the reigning road world champion from Glasgow, who has also trained alongside true triathlon legends such as Jan Frodeno, the Olympic champion from 2008. Was a full Ironman preparation really taking shape? It certainly seemed that way – but now Jasper Philipsen also appears to be getting involved.

The Belgian sprinter was also spotted in open water. Philipsen does not have a cyclocross winter on his schedule, which allowed him to complete an intensive training session in December together with his girlfriend, Melanie Peetermans, as seen on Instagram. Just like Van der Poel and Van Avermaet, Philipsen swam two kilometres in open water – but he did so in just 37 minutes, an impressive performance.

Will we actually see the sprinter line up for a triathlon? That remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the talent is there. Imagine it: Van der Poel and Philipsen taking on an Ironman together!