"At some point you just have to choose" - Danny Nelissen thinks "Not even Mathieu van der Poel" could ride for gold in both; road and MTB in Paris

Road race - yes. Mountain Bike - no. Mathieu van der Poel made his choice of races for Olympic Games in Paris clear, but that didn't stop the cycling community from countless debates whether it's a wise decision or a missed opportunity to put his name on even more pages in history books by completing the Olympic double.

Danny Nelissen is convinced that MVDP has made the right choice in a podcast by the Launch Party of RIDE magazine: "There is nothing better than becoming an Olympic champion under the Sacré-Coeur as a Dutchman whose name is also Mathieu." The former commentator is referring to Mathieu Cordang, who won gold in the three kilometers during the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Though the effort was not officially acknowledged back then.

According to Nelissen, combining the different disciplines was not an option. "At some point you just have to choose. They are two different bikes and efforts. Moreover, the mountain bike level is also too high to do both 'equally'. Not even if you are Mathieu."

Nelissen talks about a golden opportunity that could have been missed out on if the Dutch rider tried to chase too many goals and ended up failing all of them. "There are not that many opportunities to become an Olympic champion. It is something that is still missing from his record."

According to Raymond Kerckhoffs, a clear trend in Van der Poel's season planning has been visible in recent years. "From last year he actually started to make choices." The world champion has only completed seven race days thus far. Tour de France is on the menu, but it doesn't seem like the Dutch phenomenon will go far beyond the 46 race days on the road from last year. Perhaps a good thing, the podcast guests believe.