Max Poole is one of the more exciting talents in the peloton at the moment. The British rider of Team Picnic PostNL has already finished 4th overall at the 2023 Tour de Romandie and 7th at last year's UAE Tour. With two Vuelta participations under his belt, the learning segment is coming to end and now it's time to take on responsibility for results.
In 2025, his goal is to find out how will his body react after completing two Grand Tours: "That was actually the plan last year," Poole confirms to WielerFlits, "but unfortunately I didn’t make it to the Giro from Tirreno-Adriatico because of my broken elbow. This year I will do my best to make it to the start."
The intention was to debut at the Italian Grand Tour last year already, but plans changed after his injury. That makes the 21-year-old Brit all the more excited about his first Grande Partenza in Albania this May:
"I love the Giro, so I am logically looking forward to it. It is a nice challenge to do two Grand Tours, so hopefully I can be happy with my performances at the end of the year. Physically it is a big challenge, but mentally I also have to prepare myself for a long year. But I'm ready to take on that challenge."
While in Italy the focus will be mainly on isolated success in stages, Poole's third participation at Vuelta a Espana should be again with the ambition to contest the general classification. Such was the goal last year too, but a crash in the first stage and an illness made that impossible.
Additionally, Poole postpones his debut at Tour de France until at least the next season. "I especially wanted to do two Grand Tours. The combination of the Tour and Giro is very difficult, but the Tour-Vuelta combination is also not easy. And certainly not if you are doing two Grand Tours for the first time, like me."
How will he approach the preparation for such tremendous workload later in the season? By only competing at one stage race in spring before the Giro - the Tirreno-Adriatico. Poole, however, adds one intriguing classic to his early calendar: "I am doing Strade Bianche before Tirreno-Adriatico. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s one of the most beautiful races to watch on television."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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