We'll have to get used to it: Van der Poel shows up in Alpecin gear again just before Spanish criterium

The road season is officially over with the end of the Tour of Guangxi and the Veneto Classic, but Mathieu van der Poel will ride again this weekend. He will take part in the La Nucia International Cycling Criterium in Spain.

The Spanish event consists of a two-day cycling festival. Van der Poel will be at the start of the Gran Fondo La Nucia on Sunday. It is one of the biggest Spanish cycling criteriums. Besides the gravel and cyclo-cross world champion, who was recently named Dutch Cyclist of the Year, his Belgian teammate Gianni Vermeersch will also participate in the Spanish tour, which will happen in front of the town's cycling stadium. Furthermore, the list of participants will mainly consist of Spaniards: among others, Vuelta revelations Pablo Castrillo and Urko Berrade, together good for three stage victories in the Vuelta a España, are on the participation list, as is Óscar Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers).

In addition to the current stars, a number of impressive former riders will also be lining up at the start: we're talking about Alejandro Valverde, as well as Óscar Sevilla. The 48-year-old Spaniard quit cycling this year and will celebrate retirement with a classic lap around the church. Former Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez and Italians Claudio Chiappucci and Gianni Bugno have also said yes. So Spanish fans can enjoy a wonderful criterium with fun for (and by) young and old.

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By the way, the race is not necessarily the absolute highlight of the cycling festival. That honor goes to 'El Duelo'. Former world champion Valverde will take on Miguel Fuster on his bike. The latter is a six-time Spanish Rally Champion: El Imbatido will thus compete against a Citroën rally car. There will also be an elimination race and a points race, but the big stars will not participate in those.

Van der Poel confirms participation... without his rainbow jersey

Van der Poel already seems excited for Saturday’s criterium. With a big smile on his face, he confirmed his participation in the La Nucia International Cycling Criterium on Thursday evening. "Hello everyone! This Saturday, I’ll be racing in the criterium in La Nucia. I hope to see you there," he said in his Instagram story. The post also gave us a reminder of how Van der Poel looks in the familiar Alpecin-Deceuninck kit, of course with the rainbow stripes on the sleeves. It's something we'll have to get used to again, since the last time Van der Poel raced in his team kit was before last year’s World Championships in Glasgow. Additionally, he's been wearing the rainbow jersey in cyclocross for almost two years now.