“Racing without a radio is the best thing there is”: Van der Poel calls time on his season after taking bronze in Montréal

Mathieu van der Poel finished 13 seconds away from reclaiming the rainbow jersey, but ended the World Championship in Montreal with the feeling of having raced as he wanted. The Dutchman was one of the major agitators of the race, attacking several times and ultimately winning the bronze medal behind Michael Matthews and the new world champion, Brandon McNulty.

Van der Poel: "I raced exactly how I wanted to"

Mathieu van der Poel did not wait until the final laps to show his cards. The Dutchman knew he needed to anticipate the climbers in the most demanding areas of the Mont-Royal circuit and built his race around that strategy.

The result was one of the most active riders in the World Championship and a bronze medal that, although not the goal he had come to Canada with, he valued positively upon finishing.

"Of course I would have preferred the rainbow jersey, but I raced the race I wanted to race", Van der Poel explained to NOS. "I had a really strong race. I was always able to anticipate the attacks coming from behind. That was also the plan. It was very close, but unfortunately it couldn't be done."

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Van der Poel arrived in Montreal aware that the 273 kilometers and almost 4,000 meters of elevation placed his limit much closer than in other courses. That’s why his intention was to toughen up the race and, above all, not to wait for the climbers to launch their moves on Côte Camillien-Houde.

"I felt good and wanted to make the race hard, especially anticipating the attacks from the big names on that climb. Otherwise, I knew I would have problems there."

That’s exactly what he did. Van der Poel attacked repeatedly and became part of one of the most dangerous moves in the final alongside Quinn Simmons and Primož Roglič.

"You never know. If they hesitate a bit behind, maybe it’s possible. In the end, they came back and even so it wasn’t far off, but I had to try".

Van der Poel saw the danger from McNulty but decided not to respond

The decisive move came when Brandon McNulty attacked 33 kilometers from the finish. The American found a few seconds of margin, and the vigilance among his pursuers did the rest, turning his lead into more than a minute.

Van der Poel later acknowledged that he immediately identified the danger.

"I always thought it was still possible, although you know it gets complicated when riders start coming from behind. In the end, I was still able to play my cards and it wasn’t far off."

The Dutchman also knew perfectly well McNulty's potential on this terrain.

"There was still quite a bit left, but I quickly saw that McNulty's attack was good. He had already raced very well earlier on this circuit and was a name I had in mind, but I don’t think it was my place to react."

The decision ultimately proved decisive. McNulty held on to 13 seconds at the finish and was crowned world champion, while Michael Matthews won the sprint for silver and Van der Poel crossed third with the same time as the Australian.

"This is the most beautiful thing: racing without radio"

Beyond the result, Van der Poel particularly enjoyed the unpredictable development of the World Championship. He pointed directly to one of the peculiarities of the World Championships: racing without communication via radio with team cars.

"This is the most beautiful thing, racing without radio. It always produces the most beautiful races. I’m a supporter. You really have to race on instinct and that’s what I like the most".

Montreal was a good example. For a good part of the final, attacks, regroupings, and situations occurred where the favorites had to make decisions without knowing exactly the differences or the composition of the groups.

Van der Poel finally leaves Canada with a bronze that adds to his collection of world results and also marks the end of his road season.

"This has been my last race. Now we still have a visit to our sponsor Premier Tech and then I will go back home."

Regarding when he will start his cyclocross season, the Dutchman still did not want to specify anything. His immediate priority will be far from competition with the upcoming birth of his first child.

"I haven’t thought about the cyclocross season yet. Being a father for the first time is something very special. We’ll see."