Van der Poel begins quest for Mountain Bike World Championship title in Germany, May 18

The German mountain bike race is not part of the World Cup, but that won't stop Van der Poel from returning on his mountain bike for the first time since 2023. In the southern German city, located about 60 kilometers from Stuttgart, the seven-time cyclo-cross world champion will begin his quest for the World Championships in Crans-Montana. Van der Poel previously announced that he would love to win a rainbow jersey in a new discipline.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider will first compete in the Tour de France, but on September 14, he hopes to win a new world title in Switzerland. "If I had to choose, I would love to become World Champion in mountain biking this year. I haven't managed to do that yet, and it's still in the back of my mind," he said earlier this year. However, it could be difficult for him as he has not been on a mountain bike since 2023. But national coach Gerben de Knegt explained why he can still easily appear at the start. "The Netherlands normally has three starting spots. Since Mathieu is the only Dutch mountain biker at elite level, a World Championship ticket is no problem for him."

The course in Crans-Montana is not very technical, so the specialists are disadvantaged. Superstars like van der Poel, on the other hand, have the advantage. "It's hard to say how it might be on dry ground, but overall, it looks like a fairly easy route in technical terms, apart from a few more complicated artificial sections," explains Italian Luca Braidot. "If it does not rain that day, a multi-talented athlete like Van der Poel could benefit."