The highly anticipated return of Mathieu van der Poel to the MTB World Cup did not have the desired outcome. The Dutch rider, who was competing in an Olympic cross-country event for the first time in almost two years, since the World Championships in Glasgow, suffered two falls during the XCO race that forced him to retire.
Mathieu van der Poel and his double fall in Nové M?sto: a more eventful return to MTB than expected
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Van der Poel, who started from a disadvantaged position on the starting grid due to not being able to participate in the Short Track to fight for a better position, began his comeback strongly. However, in the initial loop, he made a very strange move trying to overtake Spanish rider David Valero on the outside, and both ended up on the ground. Additionally, Valero punctured his front wheel and completely affected his race.
The situation worsened later for Van der Poel, just 5 minutes after, when the Alpecin cyclist suffered an even harder fall in a log jump section. This time he went over the handlebars and although he got back on the bike, he was clearly in pain and somewhat dazed.
As we mentioned, the Dutch rider got back on the bike and rode for a while trying to regain his composure. Something that did not happen, and he ultimately chose to abandon the competition after realizing he was not in a condition to maintain the required pace.
His participation in Nové M?sto marked his return to the World Cup four years later and was part of his preparation for the upcoming XCO World Championships to be held in Switzerland in September. But there is still a long way to go for that, and in Van der Poel's calendar, it was now scheduled to start his preparation for the upcoming Tour de France.
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It would not be surprising if this double fall in Czech lands once again reopens the debate on the risks of combining disciplines at the highest level, and leaves his immediate continuity in the MTB calendar up in the air.
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