Van der Poel gave his all in a frantic World Championship road race: 'It went exactly as I had imagined'

For a long time, Mathieu van der Poel seemed to be a strong contender for another world title, but on the grueling course in Montreal, he ultimately fell just short. The Dutchman had to leave the rainbow jersey to the surprise winner, Brandon McNulty, sprinting behind the American to take the bronze. Despite missing out on the win, he is proud of his performance.

Van der Poel knew from the start that the race in Canada would be tough for him, so he wanted to open up the race early. That’s exactly what he did: with about 80 kilometers to go, he joined a group with Wout van Aert. He shook off his Belgian rival, after which he rode for an hour in a promising small group. When that group was caught, McNulty broke away. The American was never seen again.

Despite missing out on the world title, Van der Poel isn't disappointed. "Of course, I came here to become world champion, but I'm proud of the race I rode," he says in the flash interview. “It went exactly as I’d planned. I wanted to go all out early on to stay ahead of the true climbers. I think I did well. In the end, it was actually pretty close.”

The Dutchman, who was at his lightest weight in Montreal, kept up with the best on the tough climbs. Will he continue on to the Tour of Lombardy? “No, definitely not. This was my last race today,” he laughs. “But I put in a good performance—I’m happy. I did what I had to do, and that ultimately earned me the bronze.”

And so the 2026 season comes to an end for Mathieu van der Poel. It was an eventful year, in which he won two Tour stages but also failed to win any of the Monuments for the first time since 2021. “I think I can be happy. I missed out on a Monument, but I can’t win every year. Overall, though, I can be satisfied. This is a great way to end the season.”