"I don't care too much about what others say," Van der Poel insists on the XCO World Championships

Many might have thought that Mathieu van der Poel would have changed his mind after his failed return to mountain biking in Nove Mesto, which left him with a double crash and a wrist injury. But no, the Dutchman, current world champion in road, cyclocross, and gravel, has pointed out that the XCO rainbow jersey is still a pending account that he wants to settle and he will be in Switzerland on September 14th.

Van der Poel doesn't give up on mountain biking and confirms he will be at the World Championships

“The mountain bike World Championships remain a clear goal”, declared Van der Poel to the Dutch media AD during his return to competition at the Critérium du Dauphiné. “I want to keep competing in MTB, it's something I really enjoy”.

At 30 years old, Van der Poel doesn't hide that the fall he suffered in May was not easy to digest, but it hasn't stopped his ambition to return to the top in mountain biking. “Setbacks are part of the sport. That only makes me more determined to improve”, he commented. “I don't care too much about what others say. I do what I want. It's up to me to prove that I still have mountain biking in me”.

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After his injury at the Nové M?sto World Cup, the Alpecin-Deceuninck cyclist has returned to the road calendar with his sights set on the Tour de France. However, he has made it clear that he expects to compete in more MTB races after the Tour de France, with the ultimate goal being the XCO World Championships to be held in September in Valais (Switzerland).

Mathieu van der Poel remains one of the most versatile cyclists in the peloton and his ambition to add a new rainbow jersey in MTB promises to add excitement to the second half of the season.