Mathieu van der Poel realistic about MTB World Championships after successful Les Gets test

Mathieu van der Poel is ready for the Mountain Bike World Championships. The Dutchman raced his first cross-country event in 11 months in Les Gets on Sunday, but still managed to finish an impressive second after an exciting final-lap battle with Adrien Boichis. Van der Poel therefore looked back on the race with plenty of satisfaction afterwards, despite narrowly missing out on victory.

Van der Poel was able to start from the second row after finishing tenth in Friday’s short-track race, allowing him to immediately position himself near the front. “I think it was really nice to be fighting at the front again today. It’s been a while, but it makes a big difference when you can start from the first two rows. I was immediately in the leading group and, yeah, I enjoyed it.”

“I think I was just lacking a little bit of power at the end to win, but I’m happy with the performance,” said Van der Poel, who finished just a few seconds behind Boichis. “I know what the level is like and I know Adrien as well. I wanted to be the first rider into the final technical section, but he was just a little too strong to pass. After that, I was at my limit.”

With the World Championships in Val di Sole approaching, Les Gets provided Van der Poel with an encouraging confidence boost. “Yeah, it’s nice, but last year I also had a good race here and then in Crans-Montana — the week after — I wasn’t that good. Like I said, the starting position is really important and I’ll be back on the fifth row there, so I’m going to need a little bit of luck.” His caution is understandable: Van der Poel also performed strongly in Les Gets before last year's World Championships, only to finish 29th in Crans-Montana a week later.

“And what’s harder: winning on the Champs-Élysées or winning here in Les Gets?” the interviewer asked him in closing. Van der Poel could only laugh. “Well, I didn’t win today, so I guess this is harder.”