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He had a quiet Tour de France, however Mathieu van der Poel has a behavior of hitting his targets.
World highway race championship final 12 months. The CX world championships earlier this 12 months. And the Ronde van Vlaanderen-Paris-Roubaix double this spring.
Now, with the Olympic highway race unfurling on Saturday, it’s worrying information for his rivals: he feels he’s prepared.
“I educated very well,” he mentioned, chatting with AD.nl. “Intensive and explosive. I all the time want that after I come out of a grand tour.”
Van der Poel was anticipated by many to be looking levels within the Tour de France however, other than some assaults on the levels to Valloire, Pau and Saint-Lary-Soulon Pla d’Adet, his most important presence within the race was in serving to teammate Jasper Philipsen clock up his stage wins.
That was an vital function, however there was nonetheless a way of anti-climax about his race.
If he wins in Paris, although, that can all be immaterial.
What he’s aiming to realize is alongside the identical traces as Glasgow final 12 months, the place he dominated to take the world title. There are actually clear parallels: a serious at some point goal, a equally powerful course, and an nearly equivalent time period between the tip of the Tour and the large occasion.
He had 14 days between them final summer season; this 12 months it’s 13. Shut sufficient to repeat/paste the template.
“Subconsciously, you’re doing the identical,” he mentioned. “The Tour, after which prepare for the large purpose of the 12 months. However, after all, it doesn’t give any ensures.”
Nonetheless, the temper is upbeat.
“I really feel actually good and did all the pieces I needed to do.’”
Lacking a key rival
One factor which can make his job simpler is the absence of Tadej Pogačar from the occasion. Final 12 months the Slovenian was one of many strongest, and even when Van der Poel gained out ultimately, Pogačar’s kind on this 12 months’s Tour was chic.
He might properly have taken a gold medal however declared final week that he wouldn’t participate, each resulting from fatigue after his Giro-Tour double, and likewise partially as a result of the nationwide selectors didn’t choose his accomplice Urška Žigart.
In ways in which simplifies issues for Van der Poel, however he does must pay cautious consideration to the 2022 world champion Remco Evenepoel, who completed third on this 12 months’s Tour. He and Belgian teammate Wout van Aert are a severe double act, making the prospects of a Dutch-Belgian sq. off all of the extra probably.
There are after all others who will even be severe contenders.
Van der Poel has made sacrifices to be prepared for Saturday. He eschewed his conventional coaching stints in Spain put up Tour to stay in Belgium, partly as a result of he has a brand new bike for the Video games and wished to be close to the service course in case changes had been wanted.
He has additionally turned his again on MTB racing, one thing he informed AD.nl is definitely a serious goal for 4 years’ time.
“I’d have beloved to have been there, sure,” he mentioned, speaking about watching the MTB races a number of days in the past. “I’m by no means on the mountain bike, sadly. Not even in between [races] for enjoyable. The final time was on the summer season break in September.
“I take into consideration the four-year Los Angeles Olympics. To make mountain biking an awesome purpose. To reside there with a particular preparation. By then, I’ll be on the finish of my profession with an excellent purpose.”
That’s actually a powerful goal for 2028. He’s bought a extra urgent one earlier than then, with a unique sort of gold medal foremost on his thoughts.
Mathieu van der Poel #Paris2024
️ “It seems like #CyclingRoad can turn out to be an uncontrollable race. I’d say that is a bonus for me. I had principally the identical preparation as final 12 months for Glasgow.”
(Wielerflits, Raymond Kerckhoffs) pic.twitter.com/0GQin0NZip
— Domestique (@Domestique___) August 1, 2024
