Van der Poel will only compete in the XCO World Cup in Nove Mesto before the Tour de France

The Alpecin-Deceuninck team has officially announced the schedule of their XCO stars for the upcoming months. The main protagonists will be the current XCO world champion, Puck Pieterse, along with the Dutch Mathieu van der Poel and the New Zealander Sam Gaze. From this calendar, it is confirmed that Van der Poel will only participate in one MTB race before the Tour de France.

Alpecin-Deceuninck confirms Pieterse, Van der Poel, and Gaze's MTB schedule until July

The off-road season will start for the team this Sunday, May 18th in Heubach, Germany, and then they will move on to the XCO World Cup with races in Nove Mesto, Leogang, Val di Sole, and Andorra.

But only in Nove Mesto will the three coincide. With this announcement, it is finally confirmed that Van der Poel will only compete on his mountain bike in the Czech Republic, then focusing on his preparation for the Tour de France (July 5-27).

RECOMENDADO

Specialized Turbo Levo 4: prices, models, and features

How to adjust your bike to avoid injuries and ride more comfortably

10 tips for safer and faster downhills on road bikes

Injuries kept to a minimum, no equipment needed, and done in no time

How to improve in cycling when you have little time

Volume per kilometers or per hours, which is better?

The team has also announced that Mathieu van der Poel will resume his MTB season after July, and it is worth noting that one of the Dutchman's goals for 2025 is to compete in the XCO World Championship on September 14th in Switzerland.

With this information, it is not difficult to imagine that Van der Poel could return to compete in this discipline from August 21st to 31st in the Haute-Savoie World Cup in France. But we will have to wait for confirmation.