Mathieu van der Poel is racing in Val di Sole and proving he hasn't lost his mountain bike chops

Following his victory in the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris, Mathieu van der Poel has already set his sights on his next goal: the Mountain Bike World Championships. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech is currently training in Livigno, where he has been spotted several times on his MTB, but he has also been to Val di Sole.

The Instagram account pianetamtb posted a video of Van der Poel, in which the Dutch rider shows off his best Italian. “Ciao Pianeta MTB, see you in Val di Sole,” said Van der Poel, who was still riding with Remco Evenepoel on Saturday.

The Dutchman made a dream of Pianeta MTB come true. The Italian off-road publication is involved with the World Championship course in Val di Sole, and Van der Poel was able to take full advantage of that, according to the caption on the Instagram post. Val di Sole is about a 2.5-hour drive from Livigno.

"MVDP asks you for a course similar to the one in Val di Sole, and you take him straight to the Val di Trento Bike Team course," reads the caption accompanying the video, in which we see Van der Poel in action on his mountain bike. It’s clear he hasn’t lost his touch.

The Mountain Bike World Championships will take place on August 30. Van der Poel may already be on the starting line the week before at the World Cup in Les Gets, but his team, Alpecin-Premier Tech, still needs to confirm this in consultation with the Dutch rider.