Van der Poel switches to MTB mode after the Tour: the World Cup in Les Gets and the World Championship in Val di Sole will be his next goals

After a Tour de France in which he once again delivered memorable performances, Mathieu van der Poel has practically defined the next phase of his season. Everything points to the Dutchman returning to mountain biking with a brief but ambitious campaign that will include a World Cup event and the XCO World Championship in Val di Sole before returning to the road to prepare for the World Championship in Montreal.

Mathieu van der Poel prepares a mini MTB campaign with the XCO World Championship as the main goal before refocusing on the road

After the Classics campaign, it was expected that Van der Poel would compete in some mountain bike events before the Tour de France. In fact, the Nové Město World Cup even announced his participation, although ultimately the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider withdrew from the trip after experiencing some minor discomfort during training and preferred not to take risks before his major road objective.

Now, with the Tour already finished, the scenario is very different. According to WielerFlits, the plan is to compete in the Les Gets World Cup on August 21 and 23 before facing the XCO World Championship in Val di Sole on August 30.

The XCO World Championship is once again a key piece in his plans

Van der Poel's presence in Val di Sole is not a simple one-off foray into mountain biking. Since practically the beginning of his career, the Dutchman has repeatedly stated that one of his great sporting dreams is to win Olympic gold in MTB.

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With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, returning to compete regularly in XCO is almost a necessity. To aspire to that medal, he must first secure an Olympic spot, which involves accumulating results and maintaining activity in the discipline over the next few years.

The new rules play in favor of Van der Poel

One of the factors that will facilitate this return is the changes introduced this season in the Short Track regulations.

Riders ranked among the top ten in the UCI cyclocross ranking or among the top twenty in the road ranking can now participate in XCC events, even without having enough points in the mountain bike ranking.

This will allow Van der Poel to compete in the Short Track in Les Gets and, if he manages to finish among the top 24 specialists, gain access to the first three starting rows of the XCO on Sunday. Otherwise, he would not start from the last positions, but from the fifth row thanks to his ranking in road and cyclocross.

Moreover, the Dutchman is already very familiar with the French circuit. Last season, he also used the Les Gets World Cup as preparation for the World Championship, and years ago, he managed to win the Val di Sole World Cup, a course very similar to the one that will host this year's world championship.

Afterwards, heading to Canada to prepare for the road World Championship

His return to the road would come in September with a possible debut in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, a race whose route fits perfectly with his characteristics. Two days later, he would also compete in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which will serve as a dress rehearsal for the road World Championship, scheduled for September 27 on the same circuit.

Although the Alpecin-Premier Tech camp insists that the program is not yet completely finalized, that is the roadmap the team is currently working with for the second phase of the season.

Possible schedule for Mathieu van der Poel

• August 21: Les Gets XCC World Cup
• August 23: Les Gets XCO World Cup
• August 30: Val di Sole XCO World Championship
• September 11: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
• September 13: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
• September 27: Road World Championship in Montreal