Yes, yes Tour de France remains, by far, the biggest Cycling race and the main objective of the majority of runners, for some, like Mathieu van der Poelit offers little motivation. In 2025, like previous years, the Dutchman will focus more on the objective of adding the rainbow jersey to his list of achievements in VTT cross-country. Currently injured, he is taking a break from his cyclo-cross season, a discipline in which he has been world champion six times. He also won a world road title at the World Championships of Glasgow in 2023. However, despite two participations in the MTB Worldsin 2018 and 2023, this title still eludes him, with a third place and a retirement.
Video – Van der Poel was on the Tour in 2024
“It would be great to finish mountain biking in Los Angeles”
Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) confided in Sporzaand talked about his MTB goals for the season: “If I could choose, I would like to become world champion in mountain biking this year. I haven’t achieved it yet, and it’s still on my mind”. He also already has the JO 2028 of Los Angeles in his sights, another race which is missing from his list of achievements: “I have one last chance for this: Los Angeles will almost certainly be the last Games I compete in. It would be great to finish mountain biking in LA.”.
On the other hand, he does not hide that he does not adore the Tour de Francewhere he only shone in 2021: “It’s a race that I don’t really like. Apart from trying to win stages and wearing the yellow jersey, I don’t have much to gain from it. I prefer to run five races where I can play for victory rather than 20 stages where I can’t compete for victory half the time”. However, the presence of Jasper Philipsen allowed him to flourish in this ordeal: “With Jasper on the team, my goal is always to help him win as many stages as possible. I like that, and it also takes the pressure off me.”
“We are thinking about how to reduce the gap with Pogacar, because this will be necessary to defeat him”
AlthoughAlpecin-Deceuninck has not yet announced its full road program, Van der Poel gave some indications on his plans after his big goal at the start of the season, winning his seventh cyclo-cross world title in February: “Unlike last year, I will probably not continue to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It will simply be to Paris-Roubaix”. He also admitted wanting to participate in Paris-Nicebecause according to him: “new races bring new impulses”.
For his Classics campaign, he should start at Milan-San Remo and continue until Paris-Roubaixwith the main objectives of a third consecutive victory at Roubaixand a fourth title at Tour of Flanders. But he is aware that the return of Tadej Pogacar on paved terrain will make the task difficult: “It will be difficult to beat him, but it is a challenge that I am happy to accept. We are thinking about how to close the gap to Pogačar, because that will be necessary to defeat him. Maybe that comes through training slightly different and more difficult”he concludes.
