Van der Poel will have to "start from the back row" in the Mountain Biking World Championship: "He understands very well how it works"

Road race: check. Mountain bike race: question mark. However, Mathieu van der Poel will not lose sleep over it, in fact, it is already commendable that he is taking the time for the mountain bike race in Glentress Forest this week, about an hour and a half southeast of Glasgow, after his feat on Sunday in Glasgow.

Van der Poel is riding the World Championship on the mountain bike with only one goal: a starting place for the Paris 2024 Olympics, which can now be cautiously labeled as his next big ambition: becoming an Olympic champion. The mountain bike seemed his best shot, but there has been a slight change in that.

During the Tour de France, the course was announced for the Olympic road race in 2024, where classic types should be able to have their way. In the final stretch, there is the punchy climb of Montmartre, towards the Sacre Coeur, that is also covered in cobblestones, three times on the schedule. Just the thing for someone with the characteristics of Van der Poel.

After his World Championship title on Sunday, he even mentioned it. "That course suits me, but that's something we can always look at. Maybe I can combine the mountain bike and the road race," he said.

Van der Poel withdraws for a short break after World Championship madness

On the evening of his road race win in Glasgow, Van der Poel obviously took some time for a little celebration. "The focus is first of all on recovering from Sunday's race. Mathieu will do this in peace with his family in the coming days, then prepare at his own pace for Saturday's race. He will join the national MTB team on Thursday," the KNWU announced in a press release. There, he may ride the Short Race, but that decision has not yet been made.

On Saturday, he will be seen in the Cross Country race, which, unlike the Short Race, has Olympic stature. For completeness: the Netherlands currently does not have Olympic starting rights, as it is outside the top nineteen in the country ranking, something we have already paid a lot of attention to in previous long reads. The so-called escape route that the Dutch team can use is this World Championship.

The two countries that achieve the best result in Scotland, but have not yet obtained a starting place in another way, also get a ticket for Paris. "For Van der Poel – who of course proved in the past to be able to compete with the top – this is the most realistic chance to force qualification," says national coach Gerben de Knegt.

National Coach De Knegt has confidence in Van der Poel's abilities

The tricky thing is: nobody knows what position Van der Poel and Milan Vader, the other Dutch participant, exactly need to achieve in the World Championship. The 25th place might be enough, but they might also have to be in the top ten. "The disadvantage is that Mathieu must start from the backrow without UCI points, so it will certainly be a challenge. Milan Vader will certainly not be allowed to start from the front either," De Knegt points out. Van der Poel did not participate in mountain bike races this year, so he cannot be found in the UCI ranking.

A challenge, but the Dutch national coach still has confidence that someone with Van der Poel's abilities can handle it. "I do think he can ride in the top nine without preparation, yes. He understands very well how it works and is superbly talented on the bike. If David Nordemann can ride from seventieth place to twentieth in a World Cup, Mathieu should certainly be able to do that when in good form. And probably better than that," he previously told this site.

The final word is up to Van der Poel himself, who can also complete a unique trilogy after his victories in Hoogerheide (cyclo-cross) and Glasgow (road). "But that's honestly not a goal. I haven't spent much time on a mountain bike over the last year," the cyclist acknowledged, having skipped Nove Mesto in May following the cancellation of the Valkenburg World Cup race. "My goal is to qualify for Paris, and that's why I'll be competing on Saturday. I hope to have a strong performance and secure a satisfying result that will allow me to participate in the Olympic Games," he articulated, expressing his clear intentions for the coming weekend.