Van Baarle kicks off in the Tour Down Under: "Getting the engine running again." Poels happy with his new XDS bike
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleThe 2025 cycling season is upon us. In January, the WorldTour traditionally starts with the Tour Down Under, and Dylan van Baarle is expected to be present there. He said so in his podcast In Koers. Wout Poels was also featured in the episode and discussed his move to Astana Qazaqstan Team and his new XDS bike.
ADVERTISEMENT
Van Baarle is eager for a fresh start after a disappointing 2024. Things were off to a bad start when he had to miss Paris-Roubaix due to illness, followed by a collarbone fracture after a bad crash in the Critérium du Dauphiné, forcing him to miss the Tour de France. To make matters worse, he dropped out in the second stage of the Vuelta a España with a hip fracture. As a result, the Dutch rider did not finish more than twenty race days that season.
He is keen to race again after a well-deserved vacation in South Africa. "In December, the schedules for 2025 will be announced," says the classics specialist. "The coaches met last week to finalize the programs. I will hear it officially soon, but it looks like I am heading to the Tour Down Under. I have also indicated that myself. Especially after last year, which didn't go as I wanted, it seemed good to start early and get that engine running again."
Text continues below photo
Wout Poels
Poels happy with his new bike and makes goal of Giro d'Italia
Poels was one of the Astana Qazaqstan Team's numerous transfers this winter. The team finally realized it was all hands on deck to avoid relegation, so a big clean-up was performed. Twelve riders were recruited, including three Dutch riders: Poels, Mike Teunissen, and Darren van Bekkum. With Cees Bol and Ide Schelling already on the team, a nice Dutch alliance emerged within the Kazakh team.
Or rather, Chinese Kazakhs, because a new sponsor is coming: XDS, a Chinese bicycle manufacturer, Astana, will start riding these new bikes. Whether it will have the same effect as the Decathlon bikes remains to be seen, but Poels is positively surprised by his new equipment.
"I actually only have a new frame; the rest has stayed the same," Poels explained. "In the beginning, I had to get used to it; that took about two weeks. But last week, I left home for a ride, clicked my feet in, and thought: yes, it's comfortable. It's different, but at some point, you feel it. It has to evolve, but I'm optimistic about it."
Poels expects to start his season around the Tour of Oman. Furthermore, he has already set one big - not unexpected - goal for 2025. After being left out of the Giro team by Bahrain-Victorious this year, he will be at the start of the Giro d'Italia this May if all goes well. "I have mentioned again, or again ... That I want to prepare and start in the Giro."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Onley, Dickson, Thornley and now Mason; Scotland is punching way above its cycling weight
Cyclocross legend Lars van der Haar had a tough time after retiring from cyclocross: 'It was over pretty quickly'
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Latest Cycling News
Mathieu van der Poel proposes to girlfriend Roxanne Bertels
Tadej Pogačar and Geraint Thomas let loose at Eddy Dunbar's wedding and swap road for MTB
Michael Vanthourenhout's severe crash overshadows thrilling men's cyclocross race in merksplas
Thibau Nys has 3 Cyclocross race wins from 3, but: 'I don't know when was the last time I had to suffer this much'
Casasola makes the final lap exciting, but Lucinda Brand proves too strong at the Hamme-Zogge cyclocross
Popular Cycling News
Michael Vanthourenhout's severe crash overshadows thrilling men's cyclocross race in merksplas
Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand's team lose title sponsor in the middle of the cyclocross season
Extensive evidence of use of N-word, homophobia, and Asian-hate by track cyclist Matthew Richardson revealed
Complications surround Wout van Aert's World Cyclocross Championship start
Thibau Nys offers glimpse into unbelievable cyclocross comeback: 'That uncertainty, that struggle with self-confidence'
Latest Comments
- Fair enough if he skips cross this winter. With a newborn on the way, there’s no need to rush back into racing.davidm15-11-2026
- Is “Ovett” Mathieu’s friend who joined him on the training rides? The article mentions him a few times, but I’m not familiar with the name.sprocketspiny15-11-2026
- Eight world titles and now a new chapter off the bike. Hope everything goes smoothly for them!raceready715-11-2026
- Huge news for the world champion. With the baby due in January, I can see why Mathieu’s cyclocross plans are still up in the air—family comes first.jennifer1915-11-2026
- Congratulations to Mathieu and Roxanne! A Costa Blanca proposal after all those training miles sounds pretty special.michael5415-11-2026
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026