Dutch national coach clears the way for Van der Poel’s Mountain Bike World Championship bid
Mountain Biking
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Follow us on GoogleMathieu van der Poel has already achieved an impressive trilogy: he has become a world champion in cyclo-cross, gravel racing, and road cycling. This year, the Dutchman aims to claim a fourth world title — this time in mountain biking. How realistic is that goal? Sporza asked the Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt.
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Van der Poel will first complete a typical spring season before focusing on a summer without the Tour de France. "It’s a race I’m not particularly fond of," he replied honestly. The course is right up his alley, but he remains reluctant. "Aside from trying to win stages and wear the yellow jersey, there’s not much for me to gain in the Tour. I’d rather race five races where I’m in contention for the win than 20 stages where I’m only competing half the time," he said last week.
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Van der Poel during an earlier mountain bike race
Mountain bike World Championships continue to haunt Van der Poel
Whether or not he actually ends up skipping the Tour depends on the wishes of his team, but Van der Poel himself prefers to focus entirely on the mountain bike world title. "If I had to choose, I’d love to become world champion in mountain biking this year. It’s something I haven’t achieved yet, and it’s always in the back of my mind."
However, the situation isn’t straightforward for Van der Poel when it comes to mountain biking. His name doesn’t currently appear on the UCI rankings in this discipline, meaning he hasn’t earned any points by participating in mountain bike races. This raises the question of how he can qualify for the Mountain Bike World Championships and secure a good starting position.
According to Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt, the situation is less complicated than it seems. "The Netherlands usually has three starting spots. Since Mathieu is the only Dutch mountain biker at the elite level, getting him a World Championship ticket won’t be a problem," De Knegt told Sporza. While Van der Poel doesn’t need to worry about participating, his starting row will be determined by the UCI mountain bike ranking.
"It’s true that Mathieu currently has zero UCI points in mountain biking (because he hasn’t competed in any mountain bike races in the past year, ed.). So, he won’t start at the very front," De Knegt explained. But participating in a few mountain bike races to improve his starting position wouldn’t help much. "Even if Mathieu raced two World Cups, he still wouldn’t break into the top 100 of the UCI ranking," De Knegt clarified.
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Pidcock will be a major competitor at the Worlds
New rule offers a solution for Van der Poel
Fortunately, a new rule that has been introduced since last year’s World Championships in Glasgow offers a solution. "Riders ranked in the top 10 of another cycling discipline are allowed to start in the fifth row at championships," De Knegt explained. This means that despite his lack of UCI mountain bike points, Van der Poel could secure a more advantageous starting position thanks to his achievements in other disciplines.
De Knegt is confident that the World Championship course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, suits Van der Poel’s abilities. "It’s a beautiful course at an altitude of 1,500 meters. Mathieu has already proven in Val di Sole that he can handle such climber-friendly courses perfectly."
Nevertheless, the coach emphasized that Van der Poel still has work to do to contend for the world title. "It’s been a while since Mathieu competed at the highest level in mountain biking. Tom Pidcock is a two-time Olympic champion, you don’t beat him easily. I’m confident Mathieu can do it, but he’ll need to feel ready to be world champion in the lead-up to the World Championships," De Knegt concluded.
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'.
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Latest Comments
- - 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
- Calling Onley a contender for an overall Tour win already feels a bit premature, especially after the injury setbacks. Still, the depth of talent is exciting.robert6513-11-2026
- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026