Mathieu Van der Poel will proceed to race cyclocross and goal the UCI World Championships at the very least into 2025 with the purpose of equalling, and even bettering, the seven rainbow jerseys gained by Eric De Vlaeminck driving him on within the chilly and dust of the European winter.
For 2024, nevertheless, the prospect of two gold medals within the street race and mountain bike on the Paris Olympic Video games is the Dutchman’s north star and can resolve if or how he rides the Tour de France.
Van der Poel appears to be like unbeatable this winter and is dominating the Kerstperiode battles of the massive three, having crushed Wout van Aert and/or Tom Pidcock in all 4 races he has raced to this point.
He’s the one one of many trio confirmed to trip the World Championships within the Czech metropolis of Tabor on February 4 and he’ll be taking goal at rainbow jersey quantity six. Eric De Vlaeminck gained his seven titles between 1966 and 1973. Van der Poel’s seventh may are available early 2025.
“It is one of many explanation why I nonetheless race cyclocross,” van der Poel informed La Gazzetta dello Sport throughout an unique interview revealed on Thursday.
After successful in Gavere on December 26, van der Poel faces an intense New Yr marketing campaign, driving the night Telenet Superprestige race in Diegem on Thursday, the Azencross in Loenhout on Saturday, the World Cup in Hulst, within the Netherlands on December 30 after which the X²O Badkamers Trofee GP Sven Nys on New Yr’s Day.
His Kerstperiode block of 9 races additionally consists of the X²O Badkamers Trofee Vlaamse Duinencross in Koksijde on January 4 after which the Zonhoven World Cup on January 7. He’ll then conflict with Van Aert one final time within the Benidorm World Cup race in Spain on January 1, earlier than the World Championships on February 4.
Van Aert scratched Zonhoven from his race schedule however not too long ago confirmed he’ll finish his cyclocross marketing campaign in Benidorm to give attention to and keep recent for an intense spring of coaching and racing. Van der Poel, in the meantime, is satisfied he can mix cyclocross racing along with his pre-season street coaching.
“I do know what Wout means however cyclocross continues to be a great way of getting ready for my street season and the Worlds continues to be an goal,” he mentioned. “I do not know the way I will take into consideration that within the years to come back. Issues will maybe change.”
Van der Poel prefers to divide his racing and his coaching into blocks, to present him psychological and bodily separation and maybe create limitations in opposition to exterior expectations and strain.
He will certainly defend his rainbow stripes on the Zürich Highway World Championships in 2024 however that’s far too far off to fret about and comes after his cyclocross marketing campaign, the spring Classics, the Tour de France and a possible – however nonetheless to-be-confirmed – mountain bike and street race combo on the Paris Olympics in the summertime.
“I am centered on a sixth cyclocross world title, I am not eager about the rest,” he defined. “I will fear about planning the remainder of my season after that. For positive the Olympics are the north star of my 2024 season.
“We have got to check the most effective path to Paris, maybe combining it with the Tour de France, it is a tough puzzle to work out. I nonetheless have not determined if I will simply trip the street race (on August 3) or the mountain bike race (on July 29) or each.”
Van der Poel gained Milano-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2023 and was solely crushed by Tadej Pogačar on the Tour of Flanders.
“My ambitions within the Classics will not change,” he confirmed. “After that, I will see how my type is and if it is good, there’s an opportunity I may trip Liege-Bastogne-Liege.”
With a packed New Yr cyclocross calendar, Van der Poel may have little time for celebrations however has a easy want for himself and the world.
“I simply need to get pleasure from my yr within the rainbow jersey and ensure all the nice issues I did in 2023,” he mentioned. “If I look past the world of sport, there is not any doubt: I can solely want for peace on the planet.”