In 2023, Mathieu van der Poel (28 years old) accumulates thirteen days of competition. But go days. Two monumental victories such as Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, plus another two second places in Harelbeke and in the Tour of Flanders. Only Pogacar deprived him of his third Monument this year, and that “helped” the Slovenian. After his victory at the Roubaix velodrome, Van der Poel decided to stop and think about his next goals. That day, now distant April 9, was the last time he wore a number. Since then, long and intense training sessions. He prioritizes it before running in different races: “I have already run many tests in my career. When I’m out, it has to be for it to count,” he told the media from the French Alps, where he is concentrated. In addition, he revealed his calendar for the next stretch of the campaign.
He will return on June 10 at Dwars door het Hageland, to then continue at the Tour of Belgium (June 14-18). In the first instance he was going to attend the Tour of Switzerland, which starts this Sunday, but changed his plan: “I don’t want to be in the small groups in the Swiss mountains. I prefer to go in stages in Belgium. I really want to compete. Since Paris-Roubaix I have invested a lot of time in training ”, he explained. After this, on July 1 he will be at the start of the Tour de France in Bilbao. In 2021 he managed to win a stage and dress in yellow, while in 2022 it happened almost unprecedented and left after eleven stages. In 2023 he hopes to make up for it, but not fight for the green jersey, since it will be a challenge for his teammate Philipsen: “I want to win a stage and bequeath the best possible to Paris. For the green jersey I will try to help Jasper with great pleasure”, he said.
World Cup of all disciplines
This summer, in Glasgow, the World Cup for all cycling disciplines will be held at the same time. ORA new event that will be repeated every four years. Only the cyclocross will be missing… of which Van der Poel is the current champion this year. The Dutchman will control his energies because just two weeks after the end of the Tour, the World Cup events will arrive, changing the usual order (traditionally it is after La Vuelta). On August 6 will be the road test, and on the 12th the MTB. “I will run without pressure (because of the MTB test). I’ll be there anyway, so I can try without pressure.” At stake is also that your country can get places for the Paris 2024 Games.
