Van der Poel confirms that his return to MTB could be in 2025: "I have never hidden that I would really like to win the MTB World Champion title"

Mathieu van der Poel has always stated that he wanted to be competitive in mountain biking again, and that could happen sooner than we thought. After winning the Gravel World Championship, he has just confirmed that the MTB World Championship in 2025 could fit into his schedule.

Van der Poel aims for the 2025 MTB World Championship

Van der Poel only needs a rainbow jersey in the disciplines he participates in, and that is in MTB, which could be his goal for the next season.

After winning the Gravel World Championship yesterday, Van der Poel made some statements to the Dutch media AD in which he praised the discipline following some criticism about the event: "It is becoming a great event. All road cyclists are moving to gravel. Of course, it is also important for my bike sponsor. Circus? It has its charm."

You can see in detail the Canyon Grail with which Van der Poel won the Gravel World Championship.

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But before going on vacation, he also took the time to reflect on how his next season could be:

"I don't know if it makes sense to go to Africa (venue of the 2025 Road World Championship). I have never hidden that I would really like to win the MTB World Champion title. And that became a bit difficult by giving priority to road races. It depends on how I can organize the season, but it would be good if, finally, I could make it a goal."

Due to his qualities, the 2025 Road World Championship would not benefit Van der Poel, so it would not be surprising if he skipped it to try other goals. On the other hand, the UCI MTB World Championship will be held on September 2, 2025, a date that could fit well if he decides to participate in the Tour and then focus on the XCO. We could even see him in some of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events if he decides to compete before the World Championship.