"An uncontrolled race is to my advantage" - Mathieu van der Poel does not fear chaos at Olympic Games

Mathieu van der Poel is the reigning World Champion and conquered it last year right after a modest Tour de France. The Olympic Games take place this year in the almost exact same settings and although the circuit is not as difficult, it should be more chaotic but this does not bother the man that some name the main favourite for victory in Pariss.

“Yes, well, I was able to do everything. I completed all the training sessions I wanted to do. I had a good preparation," van der Poel said in words to Wielerflits. “These are also my first Olympic Games where I will compete in the road race. There is indeed a risk that it will be a very uncontrolled race. Especially because you only have three or four riders per country. If a large group unexpectedly rides away in which all the major countries are represented, it could easily happen. But normally an uncontrolled race is to my advantage.”

90 riders, no radios, teams of four at best (three in the Netherlands' case) that aren't teammates during the season and 274 kilometers of slightly hilly terrain without a summit finish mean that there will be plenty riders with realistic chances of winning and also that no team will want to take the responsibility of putting in the work to benefit their rivals. Van der Poel is aware that anything can happen this Saturday.

“After his victory in the Vuelta a España in 2022, he has already shown that he can still maintain focus and good form after a Grand Tour. He became world champion in Australia at that time. I suspect that I will also encounter him in the road race," van der Poel says of Evenepoel, who named him the big favourite. "He is one of the favourites, especially in such an uncontrolled race. When he rides away at a difficult moment, it is very difficult to catch him. I think everyone knows that, so he is certainly a candidate winner.”

Van der Poel did not look at the main climb of the final circuit yet in Montmartre due to the speed limit imposed during recons. “It does indeed look like this is a climb that should suit me. But I am not the only one who can ride that climb hard," he says when asked if he could make the difference there. "It looks like a small one on the street circuit in Glasgow where I became world champion last year. We have not reconnoitered the final, so I cannot say much about it yet. Although it does look like a tough final.”

The Olympic Games are ultimately a big goal for van der Poel, who will hope to once again find his best form in the key moments of the year again like in 2023. “It is certainly big. This was one of my big goals for this year anyway, besides the spring classics. We are going to try to make the best of it.”