Van der Poel still has doubts about his recovery and adds another road race before the XCO World Championship

Mathieu van der Poel will return to competition this Sunday after having to abandon the Tour de France on July 22nd due to pneumonia. Now, he speaks for the first time about his feelings before competing and confirms that he will be at the start line of the Renewi Tour, from August 20th to 24th, in what will be his return to the WorldTour calendar.

Mathieu van der Poel adds the Renewi Tour before the XCO World Championships

The Dutchman, winner of the 2020 edition of the race, has not competed since he was forced to withdraw from the French round, where he won the second stage and wore the yellow jersey twice. His first contact with the peloton will be this Sunday at the Profronde Etten-Leur criterium, an exhibition event in his country, before returning to a high-demand scenario on Wednesday.

"Since I withdrew from the Tour I haven't raced again, so it's a mystery how the body will respond," acknowledged Van der Poel in statements released by the organization. "I like the route, especially the stage with the finish in Geraardsbergen, which I have marked in red."

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The Renewi Tour will start with two stages for sprinters, but the main attraction for Van der Poel will be the third day, with 179.9 km, almost 1,700 meters of elevation gain, and multiple passages through the mythical Muur van Geraardsbergen. There, in 2020, a partial victory helped him take the lead and become champion.

In this edition, after the Geraardsbergen stage, there will still be two days: a medium mountain stage between Riemst and Bilzen-Hoeselt and a demanding finish in Leuven with over 1,600 meters of accumulated elevation gain.

The Dutchman, who focused on the European Championships, the Road World Championships, and gravel races last season where he won the rainbow jersey, has a very different goal this year with the XCO World Championships to be held from September 14th.

It is still uncertain whether we will see him compete in the XCO World Cup in Haute-Savoie, France, on August 31st. That would be his last chance to test himself against the best before the World Championships.