Van der Poel returns to racing in top shape for Tour — but mountain bike worlds remains a question mark

Mathieu van der Poel finally returns to racing on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Dutchman from Alpecin-Premier Tech took a break after Paris-Roubaix that ultimately lasted over two months. Ahead of the Tour de Suisse, Van der Poel spoke to IDL Pro Cycling and others, looking both back and forward.

Van der Poel didn't race for too long a spring, though he was there from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad all the way through to Paris-Roubaix. He won the Omloop, as well as the E3 Saxo Classic, and also took two stage wins at Tirreno-Adriatico. At Milan-Sanremo, however, he came away empty-handed, partly due to a crash. At the Tour of Flanders, Tadej Pogacar was simply too good, while at Paris-Roubaix he was undone by mechanical bad luck.

Alpecin-Premier Tech and Van der Poel weren't tempted to push on further. A full two months passed without racing. "I came through that period well, nice and relaxed. I took some time off first, and then did a good training block — first on my own, then with the team. It was a good preparation," he said optimistically on Tuesday in the northern Italian city of Sondrio.

In the five-day Tour de Suisse, which begins in Italy, Van der Poel is hoping to put the finishing touches on his build-up to the Tour de France — the next big goal of 2026. "I always try to win a stage, so I'll be trying to do that this week too. I don't find it particularly special to be racing again after a long break. In training you get enough of an indication and you know what to expect."

"I'm where I need to be," Van der Poel said with confidence. "I've had a good training camp and a good feeling, so I'm confident." That confidence will also be rooted in the almost identical preparation he did a year ago. Back then, he rode the Critérium du Dauphiné ahead of the Tour, before going on to win a stage at the race itself.

"In broad terms, it's always more or less the same, though this Tour de Suisse is a slightly different race to last year's Dauphiné," he said on the subject. For one thing, the Tour de Suisse has three fewer race days. The Dutchman will have a few punchy stages to show what he can do, along with a time trial and a proper mountain stage.

Did everything go completely smoothly over those two months? Van der Poel had to admit he didn't score a perfect ten, because his back played up a little. "I didn't really have any setbacks, though I did want to ride two mountain bike races. That didn't happen. I had a bit of a back problem, but it was resolved very quickly, so everything went well."

The mountain bike outings were planned to help build some rhythm, as Van der Poel wants to ride the mountain bike World Championships later this year in August in Val di Sole. "Those races were planned as preparation for the mountain bike worlds, but it was starting to become a bit of a double preparation. So we decided to make the Tour de France preparation absolutely perfect."

That much was achieved, and the mountain bike will be dusted off properly after the Tour. "After the Tour de France, we'll focus solely on the mountain bike. There's enough time, with one or two races. It's not ideal, but I do want to give it a proper chance," said Van der Poel, who has already earned his stripes in mountain biking. He won the European Championships back in 2019, but the world title remains a dream.

After a short, intense focus on the mountain bike, Van der Poel will return to the road. In September, he's normally set to race at the road World Championships in Canada. "Normally that's also in the plans, yes. It will be busy and so much can happen over the summer, but the plan is to do both World Championships."

This summer there's also a third World Championship on the calendar — though as a spectator. Van der Poel confirmed he's been following the FIFA World Cup closely in the United States. "I'm following it, though we haven't had the best start," he said, alluding to the Netherlands drawing 2-2 with Japan in their opening game.

"But normally the team that doesn't start so well ends up becoming world champion, so I'm still holding onto a bit of hope," he said with a laugh. "For now it doesn't really matter yet, though it is a shame that with the time difference it's not always easy for me to follow."

Bram van der Ploeg ( LinkedIn | email: [email protected])