Van der Poel insists on his return to mountain biking for 2025

Mathieu van der Poel was this weekend at the recovered Criterium de La Nucía, where he imposed himself for the enjoyment of the fans, and there he spoke again about his upcoming season and his intentions to prioritize mountain biking over the Tour de France.

Van der Poel insists on prioritizing the mountain bike season over the Tour de France

In 2023 Van der Poel made his debut in the Tour de France in style, quickly wearing the yellow jersey and enjoying it for several days, but in 2024 his performance has been much more discreet and his performance and attitude in the race were questioned. A situation that the Dutchman has not been comfortable with and that has reminded him of the pending account he has with the XCO.

In La Nucía, during an extensive interview with the newspaper Marca, Van der Poel spoke again about his performance in the Tour and insisted on his desire to compete in mountain biking again in 2025.

"To say that I was not happy in the Tour might be too much, but I didn't have a good time. In my debut in the Tour, I managed to wear the yellow jersey and my expectation was high. This year I had difficulties to reach my best level in a Tour, but it wasn't bad. I know I am better in one-day races and I focus on that." Van der Poel explained.

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When asked about the upcoming season, he reiterated his intention to compete in mountain biking, even if it means giving up the Tour. "We still don't know. It depends on how the season goes. I think maybe it's a good time to try to get back on the mountain bike, if I have time. It's still a big goal for me."

Remember that the next edition of the Tour de France will take place from July 5 to 27 and if Van der Poel decides to skip it to fully enter the 2025 MTB calendar he could have dates to at least compete in 2 World Cup events (Haute-Savoie and Andorra) before competing in the XCO/XCC World Championship from September 9 to 14 in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Another important issue to consider will be how the UCI manages to justify the participation of such high-profile cyclists in just a few World Cup events or the World Championship after their latest reform in the regulations. Something that was already very controversial at the Scotland World Championship when the UCI twisted the rules to place Van der Poel and Peter Sagan far ahead of what corresponded to them in the starting grid.