Van der Poel warns his rivals ahead of the World Championships: “I can still put out the watts after a hard race”

Mathieu van der Poel faces the World Championship in Montreal with a very comfortable media profile, not placing himself among the top favorites, but also not ruling himself out of the fight for the rainbow jersey. The Dutchman believes that the course is close to his limit due to the difficulty and length of the climbs, although the harder the race, the better for him.

Van der Poel points out his strong point for the World Championship

A few days before the men's elite race, Mathieu van der Poel has analyzed his options in statements collected by the Dutch newspaper AD. The 2023 world champion finds some similarities between the Montreal circuit and that of Glasgow where he won his only rainbow jersey on the road, although he believes that this time he will have a less favorable course.

"It has a bit of the same feeling, with so many curves, turns, climbs, and descents. It gives that circuit feeling. But obviously, it's not exactly the same. I think Glasgow suited me better than this course", he explains.

The main difference lies in the ascents. Van der Poel performs particularly well on short and explosive climbs, while in Montreal he will have to face a climb of 1.6 kilometers repeatedly.

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"I will probably be right at my limit, but it's not impossible. A lot will depend on how the race develops," he acknowledges.

Precisely there, one of his main assets may appear. Van der Poel hopes that several teams will try to toughen up the World Championship and, far from seeing it as a problem, he believes that a race of attrition could end up favoring him.

"Many countries will try to make the race as hard as possible. The harder, the better for me. My strong point is that after a tough race I can still move my watts," the Dutchman assures.

His approach, therefore, does not involve following a closed script. Van der Poel wants to wait to check his feelings and read the race before deciding when and how to move.

"During the race itself, I will decide what I am going to do depending on how my legs feel. That's also the beauty of a World Championship, it's very unpredictable. I think that suits me well."

Evenepoel and Seixas among the names highlighted by Van der Poel

The absence of Tadej Pogacar, who will not defend the rainbow jersey after his fall in the Vuelta a España, completely changes the scenario of the World Championship. Van der Poel regrets that the Slovenian cannot be in Montreal.

"It's a shame. As the world champion, you are the face of this sport. He is still the best rider at the moment, and it's also nice for him to wear the jersey," he points out.

But his absence could also lead to a much more open race. Without Pogacar as the main reference, Van der Poel expects more teams to see a real opportunity to win the title.

"It will also change the race because many riders will see an opportunity to become world champions", he explains.

Among the cyclists he specifically mentions are Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas. The Belgian also arrives at the road race after winning his fourth consecutive world title in the time trial in Montreal.

The Netherlands arrives without one of the strongest teams

Another factor for Van der Poel will be the team. The Netherlands will not have some riders who could have been important in controlling a race of this nature, including Thymen Arensman.

"Of course, I would have liked him to be there. A strong team can be useful to correct a situation, but in the end, in a race like this, you have to do it alone," he explains.

Van der Poel uses the great classics as an example, where leaders often end up isolated when the decisive moment arrives: "You can also see it in the finals of the classics when there are not many domestiques left."

The Dutchman thus arrives at the World Championship with an open strategy. He does not consider Montreal to be as favorable a course for him as Glasgow 2023 was, but he does not rule himself out either. A particularly tough race, of attrition and difficult to control, could be precisely the scenario in which Van der Poel finds his best options.