It's official: Van der Poel will race in the World Cup in Nove Mesto

The XCO/XCC World Cup lands this weekend in Nové Město na Moravě and one of the names that could generate the most excitement has already been confirmed. Mathieu van der Poel will compete in mountain biking again at the first European event of the year and he will do so in a very special setting for him. His presence adds even more level to a lineup where Tom Pidcock and Puck Pieterse were already confirmed, leaving the possibility of a new duel between two of the greatest multidisciplinary talents in modern cycling on the table.

Confirmed: Van der Poel will be in Nove Mesto. Will there be a duel with Tom Pidcock?

The organization had been feeding the mystery for days. In the official event preview, they spoke of “one more ace” still to be confirmed and accompanied the text with an image of Van der Poel. Finally, the suspicions were correct, and the Dutchman will be at the starting line in Nové Město.

A circuit marked in red for Van der Poel

Nové Město is one of the most emblematic circuits of the World Cup and also one of the places where Van der Poel has made some of his best memories on a mountain bike. There he achieved victory in 2019 in a dominant performance against Nino Schurter, confirming that he could be competitive at the highest level in XCO as well.

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But the Czech course also left him with one of the most bitter moments in recent years. In the 2025 edition, he fell in the early stages of the race after an incident involving David Valero. The Dutchman was forced to abandon almost at the start of the race and quickly disappeared from a competition where he arrived as one of the top favorites.

That memory makes his return this year even more interesting, especially since it comes at a very particular moment in his season.

Will there be a duel with Pidcock?

The simultaneous presence of Van der Poel and Pidcock automatically makes Nové Město one of the most anticipated races of the year in XCO. Both probably represent the highest level of explosiveness and technique that multidisciplinary cycling can currently offer, and each confrontation between them draws attention far beyond mountain biking.

Pidcock had already confirmed that he will only compete in the XCO on Sunday, something that Van der Poel will also have to do as he does not have points to be in the Short Track.

It is almost certain that we will see the Brit fighting for the top positions, but Van der Poel's level in XCO remains a complete mystery.