Van der Poel arrives at the World Championships two kilos lighter but warns: “It will be a little difficult for me”

Mathieu van der Poel has started his final preparation for the Montreal World Championship in the best possible way. The Dutchman chose the Tour de Luxembourg to regain competition intensity before traveling to Canada, and in the first stage, he already achieved victory. However, even this demonstration of form has not changed his opinion much about his chances of wearing the rainbow jersey again.

Van der Poel uses Luxembourg to find the intensity he needs before the World Championship

As the Dutchman explained to NOS and HLN, Van der Poel still believes that the Canadian course is slightly above what best suits his characteristics. And this is despite the fact that he has arrived at this part of the season particularly fit and about two kilos below the weight he had during the spring

Moreover, the choice of the Tour de Luxembourg aligns with his ongoing search for the optimal point for Montreal. After his mountain bike block, Van der Poel ruled out competing in the GP of Quebec and Montreal and completed ten days of training where he prioritized endurance work. Now he needs just the opposite. Competition and intensity.

"I am going to need the intensity. I have focused a lot on endurance training, and here I am really looking for those intensive efforts," he explained to NOS before starting lthe first stage that he ended up winning.

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A victory that confirms that the form is there, although Van der Poel himself clearly separates his current performance from what he expects to encounter next Sunday, September 27, in Montreal.

"I think the race is a bit difficult for me"

Van der Poel had already closely studied what happened in the recent GP of Montreal, held on much of the roads that will be used for the World Championship. Isaac Del Toro won ahead of Paul Seixas and Brandon McNulty. Three riders with a climbing profile and considerably lighter than the Dutchman.

"I think the race is a bit difficult for me," Van der Poel acknowledged to NOS. "That became quite clear watching the race on Sunday and the type of riders who were ahead."

Precisely Remco Evenepoel reached a similar conclusion. The Belgian warned that the World Championship could be especially challenging for heavier riders like Van der Poel and Wout van Aert. "With the way they race on the longest climb, it is really difficult for heavier riders," Evenepoel explained after the GP of Montreal.

Van der Poel, aware that weight can be decisive on a course of these characteristics, has also specifically worked on this aspect.

Van der Poel will arrive two kilos lighter than in spring

In statements collected by HLN, the Dutchman confirmed that he has repeated a strategy similar to the one he used before the Zurich 2024 World Championship.

"I have tried to lose some weight again, like before the Zurich World Championship. I feel that it makes a big difference when I am two kilos lighter than in spring. And now it is like this," he explained.

The comparison with Zurich is inevitable. He also used the Tour de Luxembourg as preparation then, won the first stage, finished second overall, and later won bronze at the World Championship. But Van der Poel finds a significant difference between both courses.

"I think the course is somewhat different. Zurich had many climbs, but not a long ascent like the one we have now in Montreal," he explained to HLN.

The absence of Tadej Pogačar does not significantly change his analysis either. The Dutchman continues to point out the toughness of the circuit and the performance recently shown by riders like Del Toro or Seixas.

Van der Poel leaves a door open: "In a World Championship, you never know"

Despite lowering his own expectations, Van der Poel does not completely rule himself out. The World Championship introduces tactical factors very different from those of a conventional race. It is contested by national teams, without the usual structure of commercial teams and without communication via radio.

"In a World Championship, you never know. They can be atypical races. It is raced with the national teams and without communication, so it is not like other races," he explained to NOS. And his conclusion summarizes well how he currently approaches Montreal.

"I think my chances are small, but I am looking forward to it."

The Montreal Cycling World Championship begins this Sunday, September 20, with the Elite time trials. And here you can check all the dates, schedules, and links to follow for free. The men's road race in which Van der Poel will participate will take place on Sunday, September 27.