Mathieu van der Poel can complete unique 'triple': "But if I'm very honest: that's not a goal"

Mathieu van der Poel rode like an orange-white alien through the drizzling streets of Glasgow on Friday. The Dutchman patiently waited for his moment in the World Cycling Championship final, only to leave behind competitors Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, and Mads Pedersen - all of whom spoke respectfully about the Dutchman's decisive move - with an explosion.

A good hour after crossing the finish line in Glasgow with his hands in the air and scrapes on his sides - a result of falling in the final lap - he took a seat in the middle of three chairs at the UCI press conference. Realizing what he had just accomplished, it still didn't seem to sink in for him. "This was one of the biggest goals of my career. It's already been a great year, but this is really a dream come true."

Pogacar had just finished his press conference and addressed the brand-new world champion. "He is a crazy guy, what he did... amazing," the Slovenian spoke full of praise. "Nobody had any answer to his acceleration either. How he rode away and then, after his crash, just rode to the finish line with a lead. He just said: goodbye guys... it's really well deserved, this victory," to which Van der Poel nodded respectfully to his opponent.

Van der Poel briefly lost confidence after crash

Then the Dutchman was eager to share his views on the race with the international newsroom. "It was hard to make a difference, but with all those climbs, it starts to hurt in the legs after 270 kilometers. The strongest will naturally come to the top," said Van der Poel, who, during his press conference, occasionally looked at his phone with a smile, undoubtedly receiving a stream of cool messages.

The fact that he left the other three strong riders behind with one big push surprised Van der Poel. "Beating Wout and Tadej does give extra value. They were among the strongest riders in the world at the front. I have often sat alongside Wout at press conferences, and Tadej is also a special one. I was a bit surprised that I could ride away from them right away. When you don't see anyone around you, you gain a lot of confidence," Van der Poel said, noting that some of that confidence was swept away by his crash.

"I don't know what happened during that fall; I wasn't taking any risks or anything. I knew I could make a difference with my legs, and suddenly I was on the ground. Maybe the adrenaline took over after that, but I know I was very lucky," said the Dutchman, who decided to play it safe after encouraging words from national coach Koos Moerenhout. "I didn't trust the corners anymore, but I stayed in my rhythm. When I saw the gap widen again, I regained my confidence. That was a very nice feeling."

Some of the attendees tried to get an inside look into Van der Poel's mind during his solo. "This World Cup had been in my head for a year," after which a French journalist asked him about his grandfather Raymond Poulidor. "During the Tour, I was thinking about him, but that wasn't necessarily the case now. He would certainly have been very proud, but I only have good memories of him. I cherish those." So what was on the Dutchman's mind? Above all, a lot of happiness. "It's a great feeling," he said several times.

Van der Poel does not go directly for unique triple

Anyone would grant the Dutchman a good night out in the Scottish nightlife, but the reality is that another important mountain bike race is scheduled for Saturday. One of the few races in which Van der Poel can still secure a starting ticket for the 2024 Paris Olympics. "But first, I'll make an exception for this party. I still have a few days to recover," laughed the man who normally competes for Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Now that he is the reigning cyclo-cross and road cycling world champion, he could also secure a unique triple on Saturday. However, the triple is not a goal, if I'm honest. I want to qualify for Paris, that's why I'm racing on Saturday. I hope I have a good day and can get a result so I can go to the Games. If that doesn't work out, I can also opt for the road race. That course also has to suit me, but we'll see after Saturday. First, celebrate and enjoy, because you have earned that, Mathieu!