Van der Poel returns to the road in Luxembourg to warm up for the World Championships in Canada

Mathieu van der Poel is returning to road racing. After a brief foray into mountain biking, where he attempted to compete for the world title in Val di Sole, the Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech will once again be racing on skinny tyres. Ahead of the World Cycling Championships in Canada, he will compete in the Tour of Luxembourg, where he has previously enjoyed success.

Van der Poel had an extremely successful Tour de France. He helped Jasper Philipsen secure a victory, but above all, he himself performed outstandingly, winning two stages. The second, of course, captured the imagination the most, with its thrilling finale in Paris. After that resounding success, he took a brief break to focus on mountain biking.

Because the 31-year-old Dutchman still has sky-high ambitions in that regard. He has already won the European championship once, but he hasn’t yet managed to become world champion. He wanted to give it another shot in Val di Sole, and during his preparations, he finished second in Les Gets after an outstanding comeback. However, the appetizer was better than the main course.

He skipped the Short Race to focus entirely on Sunday’s long race. He started from the fifth row there, but a comeback wasn’t in the cards this time. Van der Poel struggled from start to finish and ultimately finished 31st, well behind winner Tom Pidcock. The Brit started from the same row and was able to do what Van der Poel couldn’t.

After the disappointment on fat tires, however, his focus quickly shifts to the road. Van der Poel still has big goals for the fall. The World Championships in Canada are a key event for the Dutch rider. He hopes to become world champion for the second time, following his victory in Glasgow in 2023. With Tadej Pogacar likely to be absent, the odds have improved for everyone.

In any case, Van der Poel knows where he’ll begin his quest for the rainbow jersey. He’ll compete in the Tour of Luxembourg, according to an announcement by the organisers on Instagram. The race in the tiny country starts on September 16 and consists of five stages. The Alpecin-Premier Tech team leader also competed there in 2024. Wearing the rainbow jersey at the time, he won the opening stage and finished second in the general classification.

Was that good preparation for the World Championships? You could certainly say so. As the defending champion, Van der Poel was at the starting line of the World Championships in Zurich. Pogačar claimed his first world title there, but on the climber’s course, an outstanding Van der Poel put on a strong performance and took the bronze. And in Canada, the course seems to suit him even better...