Van der Poel returns to competition after abandoning the Tour due to pneumonia

More than three weeks after being forced to abandon the Tour de France due to pneumonia, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will return to racing this Sunday at the Profronde de Etten-Leur, an exhibition criterium in the Netherlands that will feature a star-studded lineup.

Van der Poel returns to the road just before switching to MTB mode

After winning the second stage, wearing the yellow jersey twice, and being the protagonist of several more stages, Van der Poel had to withdraw before the 16th stage due to pneumonia.

Since then, the Dutch rider has been following a recovery process that also included a training camp in Spain. Now, he will make his comeback at the Profronde de Etten-Leur, a criterium that will also feature other prominent figures from the international cycling scene, such as Tour de France Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, world champion Lotte Kopecky, and Tour stage winners Tim Wellens and Thymen Arensman.

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After his appearance at Etten-Leur, Van der Poel's schedule points directly to his remaining big goal this season: the Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland in September.

With nothing confirmed yet, it wouldn't be surprising to see him compete on a mountain bike before then. It could be at the XCO World Cup in Haute-Savoie, France, the last weekend of August. This event would serve as preparation for the World Championships since Van der Poel has not competed in this discipline since his eventful performance in Nove Mesto.