Van der Poel thinks Pogačar could recover in time for the Cycling World Championships: 'It’s a different story'

Mathieu van der Poel went all out for a world title on the mountain bike this weekend, but fell short of his goal. In Val di Sole, the Dutchman didn't really feature in the race. But in less than a month he’ll get another chance. Not on fat tires, but on skinny ones: he’ll compete in the Road World Championships in Canada, and Tadej Pogačar likely won’t be there.

Due to his limited experience in mountain bike racing, Van der Poel had to start his bid for the world title from the fifth row this Sunday. While Tom Pidcock (who also started from the fifth row) raced to the world title, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider failed to impress and didn’t finish in the top 30. Afterward, he was absolutely gutted.

But his focus is quickly shifting to other goals. The World Championships in Canada are the next race where Van der Poel will be looking to shine. A tough course has been laid out in Montreal. The Dutchman became world champion in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2023, but that was a different course—it was practically designed for the eight-time cyclocross world champion.

There, he defeated Wout van Aert, who finished second. Tadej Pogačar came in third, but the Slovenian went on to win the next two world championships by a wide margin. Pogačar was the top favourite to claim his third consecutive world title in Canada, where he had already won the GP Montréal twice. But due to a serious crash in the Vuelta a España, where he broke his collarbone and a vertebra, a return to the World Championships will be very difficult.

At the time, Van der Poel was in Italy preparing for his bid for the mountain bike world title. “When I started [watching] the Vuelta on Saturday, he had just hit the ground. It was a very unfortunate crash—you can tell by the injuries,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. The Dutchman sent him a message: “'Get well soon'. That’s all he needs right now.”

Will Pogacar be back in time for the World Championships? “It’s up to him and his team to see if the World Championships are feasible,” said Van der Poel. “Given the injuries he’s dealing with, it seems difficult to me, but you never know. After a broken collarbone, it’s certainly possible to be back on the bike after four weeks. But with that cervical vertebra fracture and the concussion on top of it, it’s a different story.”