Van der Poel shows rainbow jersey for the first time in his home country: "We have been working on this stunt for some time"

Mathieu van der Poel will show his rainbow jersey to the public for the first time at the Profwielerronde of Etten-Leur. The organization of the Brabant criterium announced this on Friday, upon which IDLProCycling.com called board member Daniël van den Hoven.

On Sunday, August 20, Van der Poel will make his entrance in Etten-Leur, not far from his roots, and show his jersey for the first time to the Dutch public. Admission is free, so everyone can travel to the town in Brabant to watch the Dutch champion. "Despite his packed schedule, Mathieu still wanted to wear his brand new jersey in his region and show it to all cycling enthusiasts," the organization stated in a communiqué.

"We have the scoop that Mathieu will come show his rainbow jersey to us in Etten-Leur first after the World Championships," they say proudly. That pride is also reflected in Van den Hoven's voice. "We have been working on this stunt for some time, but after his world title, we really wanted to have him. Before his World Championship title, we were on speaking terms, so to speak. Our chairman is very good at those negotiations and we were able to finalize it two days ago."

"We think we might have to arrange extra press vests and such," laughs Van den Hoven, who gets to welcome Van der Poel in his home region. "Does that have an influence? I think so. Mathieu is half Belgian, but he is also quite beloved in Brabant." Last February, Van der Poel won his World Championship title in cyclocross in Hoogerheide, not far from Etten-Leur.

Whether the organization has something special in store for Van der Poel, they don't know yet. "Probably, but that's not a primary concern right now. We've just finalized his arrival and need to figure out how we'll fit it in. It's very cool, and we always hoped he would come, but the world title did make it a bit trickier," he points to Van der Poel's busy schedule. "We have to hope he doesn't fall on his mountain bike, like he did at the Olympics."

After the stunt with Jonas Vingegaard last year - who came over in a private jet - the arrival of the freshly-minted world champion is a new milestone in the history of the criterium. "It's incredibly cool, Mathieu really wanted to show the jersey himself. We still get questions from other riders if they can come. Bauke Mollema, for example, loves to come here, but Chris Froome has been asking for two years if he can come again. Our formula works, I think," concludes the board member.

In addition to Van der Poel, Mollema, polka dot jersey Giulio Ciccone (Tour de France), Fabio Jakobsen, Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, and Puck Pieterse have already been confirmed for the "biggest criterium in Europe," as we read on the site. "But more big names are coming," states Van den Hoven.