Van der Poel confirms his participation in Switzerland

Mathieu van der Poel was already among the names expected for the Tour of Switzerland 2026 and his presence had been hinted at by various reports from the Alpecin-Deceuninck camp. Now, however, the team has cleared up any doubts by officially confirming their schedule for the month of June and their path towards the Tour de France.

Mathieu van der Poel will race the Tour of Switzerland as the only preparation before the Tour

Alpecin-Premier Tech announced this Friday the competition programs for Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen for the coming weeks. The main news is the confirmation that the Dutchman will compete in the Tour of Switzerland, which will take place from June 17 to 21, and that it will be his only race before starting the Tour de France in Barcelona on July 4.

The team's approach makes it clear that Van der Poel will undergo a very different preparation compared to other contenders for the stages of the Grande Boucle. After an intense spring classics campaign, the Dutchman minimized his competitive calendar before the major goal of the summer.

In the official statement, Alpecin-Premier Tech explains that: “After a solid spring campaign, in which he impressed again in the cobbled classics, Mathieu van der Poel is now focusing all his attention on the summer. The former world champion will race the Tour of Switzerland at the end of this month, his only block of competition before the Tour de France.”

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The confirmation means that Van der Poel will not compete in any other road race before the Tour and will also not be present at the National Championships in the Netherlands, where he has not participated since 2023.

The decision also raises doubts about his immediate plans in mountain biking. Although the Dutchman has the MTB World Championship among his major goals for the season, the program published by Alpecin-Premier Tech does not include any mountain bike events.

His return to the XCO World Cup remains unconfirmed

The absence of MTB races in the announced calendar almost confirms that he will also not be at the next round of the XCO World Cup in Leogang, scheduled for June 12 to 14.

Van der Poel had already been registered to compete in Nové Město this season, although he ultimately withdrew from starting. Now, less than a week before Leogang, his presence at the Austrian event seems uncertain.