Van der Poel wants to continue resting and is aiming for the 2026 MTB World Championships

Mathieu van der Poel, who has been seen enjoying his other great passion, golf, in recent days, does not seem to be in much of a hurry to resume training. In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laaste Niewsblad, the Dutchman analyzed the end of the season and Pogacar's successes, while also giving some hints about his plans for 2026, when the MTB World Championships will once again focus his attention on what he already sees as a personal challenge.

Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France, and MTB World Championships are Mathieu van der Poel's main goals for 2026

Mathieu van der Poel continues to extend his vacation. In fact, a few days ago he was seen enjoying a day of golf in the United States in the company of famous swimmer Michael Phelps and the CEO of Whoop. The Dutchman confessed that he went for a bike ride on Monday but that it will most likely remain in the garage for a while longer: "Another week of rest won't hurt me. When cyclocross starts, we'll enjoy a quick succession of races again. We'll be back in shape soon," he said with complete nonchalance.

This means that, as we already knew, he will not be defending his Gravel World Champion title in a race to be held in the Netherlands next Sunday. In addition, with regard to his cyclocross season, he warns that it will be a reduced campaign with a similar number of races and planning to last year, so it is unlikely that we will see him back on the circuits until Christmas or even New Year.

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Mathieu van der Poel, who is 30 years old and will turn 31 on January 19, admits that, despite not feeling burned out, he is now focusing on more specific goals. “Competing is fun, but in the end, you are judged on winning races. Partly because I'm getting older, in recent years I've learned to focus on what's best for me.”

One of these goals is the MTB World Championship, which in 2025 had a disappointing result for him, but it remains a goal for him. “I won't give up mountain biking until I win it, even though it's very likely that I'll never achieve it. It's similar to Tadej Pogacar with Flanders or Roubaix: it's a challenge.”

Speaking of Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel had nothing but praise for a cyclist he also considers a friend off the bike: “He's really impressive. The new Merckx may not be the right comparison because his name is Pogacar, but for us it must be a bit like when Merckx was racing. On his terrain, he can do whatever he wants.”

These words carry even more weight coming from the only cyclist who has been able to beat the Slovenian in a head-to-head battle in both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. "That was on my turf, and even then, it was close. I don't think I'm a threat to him on his home turf," admitted the Dutchman, who wants to keep it that way, so the classics, the Tour de France, and the aforementioned MTB World Championships will continue to be his main goals, just as they were this season that is now coming to an end.