Van der Poel swaps running shoes for cycling again: Here’s what he said ahead of his last races in the rainbow jersey

It was a bit of a puzzle, but it's now been solved: ladies and gentlemen, we present the autumn program of Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman made his decision a week and a half before the Vuelta, opting to skip the Spanish race. Instead, he has a solid alternative lined up with the Renewi Tour, the European Championships, the Tour of Luxembourg and finally, the World Championships. He spoke to the press for the team presentation of that first race.

Under the bridge of Kanne, Belgium, close to the border with the Netherlands, the teams and riders were introduced one by one to the Dutch-Belgian audience. Cheers were heard each time, but a large part of the crowd mainly aimed to catch a photo or glimpse of the Alpecin-Deceuninck world champion.

As Van der Poel descended from the bridge into the team presentation zone, fathers and sons pulled off acrobatics just to capture a shot of the Dutchman. Van der Poel took it all in with a smile, took his time to sign autographs, did his thing, and also spoke to the press briefly. Still, for critics who claim he races too little, it was worth seeing just how much attention Van der Poel receives on a day like this and how, as a world champion, he is more in the spotlight than many of his colleagues.

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However, you will never hear Van der Poel say that himself. He mainly focuses on racing, but also on the question of which races to do. "And that has been a bit of a search," he admits. For a long time, the Vuelta a España seemed like a logical option, but a week and a half before the race, it was crossed off the list. "It was in the back of my mind, but ultimately we chose this race."

Van der Poel looks forward to stage around Wall of Geraardsbergen

Not that his preparation didn't take him through Spain, because Van der Poel recently did spend time on the Spanish coast. There, he showed an impressive running session late last week: ten kilometers at an average pace of 4:34 per kilometer, but more importantly, with an average heart rate of 114 beats per minute. A run to the baker's, top athlete style. "I like to change things up with some running," says the Dutchman.

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So, the Renewi Tour it is. Is it a goal in itself, or is it more of a preparation race for the 2020 winner? "A bit of both," Van der Poel admits. "It's always a wait-and-see situation to see how you come out of a training period, but it's a nice race. There are some easier stages, but the last stage is one that should suit me. I'm looking forward to that."

"It will mainly be about winning a stage," he explains his primary goal. "I don't pay enough attention to the time trial to compete for the overall win, but who knows, maybe I can try on Sunday. It seems that the stage will decide the final classification. With the approach to the local circuit, it is quite a challenging stage, so something is possible there."

"You can't make up minutes there, but I don't usually lose them in the time trial either. If I can limit my losses, then something might be possible," says the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader, who also has sprinter Jasper Philipsen as a teammate who can go for stage wins. "But still, I had hoped for more challenging stages. We'll have to make do, but on Sunday, I can at least test myself."

Van der Poel given free role at European Championships

After the Renewi Tour, the European Championships are up next, and these will be held on Sunday, September 15, in the Belgian region of Limburg. The start will be in Heusden-Zolder, the finish in Hasselt, and on paper, it looks like something for the sprinters. The Dutch team will also include Olav Kooij, while the Belgians will bring Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Jordi Meeus and Wout van Aert.

"But I don't think they'll all go for a sprint," Van der Poel laughs. "It would be great if they want to race aggressively. I have a free role, but I expect other riders to play it similarly. Someone might attack and keep the sprinter in reserve," he says, revealing a bit of the Dutch strategy.

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A few days after the European Championships, he will put the finishing touches on his desired World Championship form in the Tour of Luxembourg. With the hilly to mountainous course in Zurich, Van der Poel wants to sharpen his legs one more time there. "I want to ride something that weekend because I want to race more towards the World Championship after this training period," he explains his participation in the 2.Pro stage race.

Van der Poel keeps his options open after World Cup

So far, Van der Poel's program is set until the end of September. What follows is still uncertain. The World Gravel Championships could be an option, but the cyclo-cross season is, of course, also on the horizon. For example, Thibau Nys already ended his road season on Sunday to focus on the cyclo-cross winter. "But I'm not thinking about that yet," assures Van der Poel, who wants to keep all options open for the coming winter.

This also includes his previously mentioned possibility of skipping a season. "I don't know yet, I have no idea," he honestly admits. First, this next leg begins with the Renewi Tour and ends with the World Championships on the road. After that, we'll see or hear about it ourselves.