LA 28 unveils early MTB course: Mathieu van der Poel and co get a preview

“The venue for Mountain Bike at #LA28 is here!” they announced. “The home of the Mountain Bike competition at the 2028 Games will be the Industry Hills MTB Course in the City of Industry Zone. This state-of-the-art course will be within a hilltop in the San Gabriel Valley, bringing rugged terrain and non-stop action for the thrilling competition.”

“Industry Hills MTB Course is a non-stop, action-packed celebration of rugged terrain, featuring Los Angeles' incomparable access to nature, right in the city,” says an initial introduction to the course.

"This twisting and turning course includes sections of drops, jumps, varied terrain, and exciting areas for fans to be part of the action," according to the LA28 organization.

Mathieu van der Poel spoke last week at the team presentation of the Renewi Tour with, among others, IDLProCycling.com, about the 2028 Games as a possible goal. “It's still a long way off, but in theory it could be a nice final goal. I'll be nearing the end of my career by then. It also depends on what the road race is like, as was the problem in Paris. I hope it suits me very well or not at all, because that would make the choice a bit easier.”

In Paris, Van der Poel opted for the road race, while in Tokyo, he chose to compete on the mountain bike. Both times he missed out on medals: in France, he was beaten by the Belgians, while a crash in Japan brought his 2021 Olympic adventure to a premature end.

This week, the Dutchman returns to his mountain bike in Les Gets, France, with the World Championships in Crans-Montana on September 14 as his primary goal. "The intention is to do more mountain biking in the future, as I did before corona."