Mathieu van der Poel will not race in any road events for the remainder of 2023. He will still participate in the test event for next year’s Olympic Mountain Bike race in Paris on Sunday, but after that, he will take a break. He confirmed this in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
Van der Poel was initially scheduled to compete in the Franco-Belge Circuit (September 28) and Paris-Tours (October 8), but he has now announced that he won’t be participating in these races. The Dutch cyclist stated that he will use this time for a vacation and enjoy fun activities at home with friends.
Mathieu Van der Poel talked to Algemeen Dagblad in Paris, where he will compete in the mentioned test event this weekend. He has already explored the circuit: “It’s a course that leaves me satisfied. The three climbs are easy to do. It’s a very good circuit,” he said.
Paris and Tour de France in 2024
The Olympic Mountain Bike race will take place on July 29, 2024, while the Tour de France ends on July 21. “Finishing the Tour and participating in the Mountain Bike race and the road race at the Games (August 3) is certainly an option,” says Van der Poel, who values another Olympic title in Mountain Biking more than one on the road. “You can win a lot on the road: World Championships, Tour stages, classics. The Olympic title is the ultimate in Mountain Biking. On the road, it’s really different. It’s good, of course, but it’s lower in the hierarchy than other major competitions.”