"All these countries with no cycling history, they have riders there who can’t even follow for 10km" - Wout Poels critical of Olympic road race format
Cycling
After a brilliant 2023 campaign that saw him take stage wins at both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, Wout Poels is targeting Olympic success in 2024. However, the Dutchman does have some gripes about the format of the men's road race.
“I think it’s ridiculous what they’ve done with all the spots," the 36-year-old laments in conversation with GCN. "And I saw that bloody breakdancing is in the Olympics. I’ve had a feeling that in the last 10 years cyclists have really started to target the Olympics more. It’s a real shame that they now make the rules that the peloton will only be 90 riders."
According to Poels, the current format of limiting the number of riders for top teams and giving the lesser teams more chance is actually detrimental for the sport.
"It’s ridiculous because you don’t have all the best riders on the start. Then all these countries with no cycling history, they have riders there who can’t even follow for 10km. It’s a nice Olympic thought but it doesn’t really work," he explains. "Ninety riders in the peloton, it takes some of the shine off. We only have three riders from the Netherlands and if your team has three riders then you almost can’t control the race. You have to make deals with other countries. But if you ask me if I want to go, I still do."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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