Mathieu van der Poel heading for World Championship: "Less obsessive about weight than you think"

Van der Poel's jaws sparkle in the Luxembourg sun as he steps off the podium and takes a moment for this website. Many people have noticed that he looks very sharp, which makes him smile. So, what number does the scale indicate these days? "I don't stand on the scale that often. In some periods, I watch what I eat, but I'm not obsessive about it," the Alpecin-Deceuninck world champion said soberly.

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After the Tour de France in July, Van der Poel moved on to the Olympic Games in Paris before the focus of his calendar turned entirely to the World Championships in Zurich on Sunday, Sept. 29. He moved to his home in Spain, enjoyed a short and well-deserved vacation and then started training again. In the Renewi Tour, however, he could not reap the rewards, as knee problems prevented him from starting in his favorite final stage to Geraardsbergen. So, back to Spain, with the European Championship as his next goal.

In Flanders, the muscles were tight, although no results were achieved. Van der Poel says there has been no crash diet or other drastic measures toward a challenging climbing World Championship with 4,500 meters altitude - as suggested elsewhere. "I don't think I'm kilos lighter for the World Championship; I always have a bit of the same weight during the season. Maybe it differs one or two kilos, but it won't be more."

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It might just be those kilos or grams that will help him in the wheel of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel over a climb in Zurich. Van der Poel doesn't want to know whether the amount of climbing in Spain makes him a different rider, somewhat lighter. "I think it's too easy to blame my European Championship performance on my weight and training in Spain. Even though it was my first tough race in a long time, I wasn't satisfied."

"I maybe missed that final day in the Renewi Tour," he analyzes, knowing it can be about that one missed boost in the world's top races. "It wasn't bad either, but I just didn't have the legs I wanted to ride around with. That's why I'm here in Luxembourg. I still need those race days, the suffering in the race. That is the most important thing this week. In Spain, I did a lot of endurance training, which was important after the Tour de France. It takes a bit longer on the bike, with sometimes some intensive blocks. But those weren't too bad in terms of quantity."

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Thus, after the stage victory on day one of the Tour of Luxembourg, Van der Poel thus seems to be fully on track for a final peak of the year. Sport director Christoph Roodhooft of Alpecin-Deceuninck has seen a dedicated leader in recent months. "He wants to regain his best level from the spring. That he wins again now is nice. In that he is no different from others, that is always gratifying. It was 23 weeks without a win, but in the past few months, there weren't many races where he could do anything; there was always something."

However, the puzzle pieces seem to fall into place now, just in time. Can Van der Poel continue to connect the dots in Luxembourg? "I don't know if you can get any percentage points better at this stage," Roodhooft said. "The main thing is not to lose anything more. Staying healthy is the easiest way to be well later on." Did that indeed involve losing one or two kilos? "It would be a pity if I lost five kilos or more," said the Belgian. "He is at weight because he is trying to prepare for the World Championship. So, I think that makes sense for everyone. But all that is not alarmingly much, not five kilos so. He's doing everything to bring out the top condition of the spring one more time. Then we'll see."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])