Mathieu Van der Poel didn’t go beyond the 28th place in the Cross Country test event in Paris on Saturday. However, he learned a lot on the course where he intends to compete for Olympic gold next year. He shared this with the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad shortly afterward.
“I had fun, but it became clear to me that I haven’t been doing any intervals lately,” MVDP said. He started from the 43rd position due to a low MTB ranking, making him the last to start. “I didn’t start too fast because I didn’t want to blow up. After a recovery race, I had to work my way up a few spots. My condition isn’t as good anymore after a long season, and you can’t hide that in mountain biking.”
Nevertheless, he is happy to have been in Paris. “I saw the course. I also know that next year, I’ll have to compete more in mountain biking to get a better starting position. Otherwise, I won’t win next year. Anyway, I wanted to race two of these events after the spring. But a few more will need to be added,” the Dutchman concluded.
The test event in Paris on Saturday was won by the Frenchman Victor Koretzki, Anton Cooper finished in 2nd place, and the multi-champion Nino Schurter closed the podium in 3rd place.