The 2024 Paris Olympic Video games has been inflicting complications and altering schedules already for riders with the prospects of profitable gold medals. Mathieu van der Poel is likely one of the riders who should experience an unorthodox calendar to make sure he, first qualifies, then has an opportunity to combat for victory on the mountain bike cross-country occasion and highway race in Paris.
Van der Poel, a champion throughout each disciplines, has made it clear he needs to focus on the mountain bike race on the Olympics and rectify his disappointing look in Tokyo, that noticed him crash on the opening lap and injure his again.
The present highway and cyclocross World Champion will, in fact, additionally need to experience the Tour de France in his rainbow stripes and goal some punchy phases whereas additionally main out Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen as he did in 2023.
Nonetheless, with the boys’s MTB race in Paris arriving on July 29, simply eight days after the climax of the 2024 Tour de France in Good, how will Van der Poel assemble his summer season racing calendar?
“Finishing the Tour shouldn’t be excellent in view of his mountain bike ambitions in Paris,” stated the MTB nationwide coach of the Netherlands, Gerben de Knegt, to Sporza.
“The Tour ends on Sunday, July 21, and mountain biking in Paris is already on this system 8 days later. That implies that Mathieu ought to journey to Paris on Wednesday or Thursday after the Tour in order that he nonetheless has a couple of days to discover the MTB course.”
De Knegt tried to offer an answer the place Van der Poel may nonetheless be current for the Grand Départ in Florence as World Champion however with an early exit.
“For instance, he may abandon simply after the gravel stage, which is simply earlier than the first relaxation day [on July 7]. Then there are nonetheless 3 weeks till the Olympic MTB race,” stated De Knegt.
De Knegt wasn’t frightened about Van der Poel competing in each despite the fact that the boys’s highway race is barely 5 days later. The Dutchman additionally regarded like one of many early favourites even this far out after the punchy Classics-style route in and round Paris was revealed at this yr’s Tour.
“The mix of mountain biking and highway racing on the Video games is possible,” stated De Knegt. “The one query is whether or not mountain biking is the best preparation for the highway race. Finally each bicycle has 2 pedals and Mathieu can pedal very exhausting on them.
“Mathieu realizes that he should make selections, however he’s the least involved about it of everybody.”
If Van der Poel is to reach the off-road self-discipline, he should higher the cross-country World Champion and defending Olympic Champion, who he is aware of very nicely from the highway and cyclocross world, Tom Pidcock.
Pidcock will experience the identical schedule on the Paris Olympics as Van der Poel with each the highway race and MTB cross-country in his targets, with defending his title from Tokyo set as an enormous aim for the season.
The Brit’s coach Kurt Bogaerts revealed earlier at the moment that Pidcock’s highway schedule will function a desire for the Ardennes Classics over the Flemish cobbled races.
Pidcock may also probably battle with deciding between staying on the Tour de France till stage 21 come summer season, as he continues his journey to turning into extra of a GC rider according to Ineos Grenadiers’ ambitions to return to the highest step of the most important race.
“The intention is for Tom to take part in each mountain biking and highway racing in Paris,” stated Bogaerts to Het Nieuwsblad. “His ambition is Olympic gold once more. The highway experience is a bit more sophisticated, but it surely’s a superb factor that the mountain biking is already over. The explosiveness of that self-discipline can come in useful within the highway race.”
Pidcock has said he needs one other gold medal in mountain biking on the Olympic Video games.
“Subsequent yr, I need to go and defend my title on the Olympics, however I additionally want as many factors as I can get,” stated Pidcock to Purple Bull’s Simply Trip podcast on the finish of the final highway season.
“But in addition I’ve received to stability that with the staff, and so they want me, need me on the Tour, so I’ve to be there and be my finest on the Tour, and I’ve eight days between the top of the Tour and the Olympics.
“Hopefully I ought to come out of the Tour in a greater situation, that means that in eight days I will be prepared. It is going to be on the restrict, it isn’t going to be straightforward, however I am giving myself the most effective probability.”