“Do it right” – Annemiek van Vleuten calls out Mathieu van der Poel over mountain bike ambitions
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel is heading to the 2025 Tour de France
in flying form, but his recent return to mountain biking has drawn criticism
from one of cycling;s legends. Annemiek van Vleuten, the now-retired
multiple-time world champion, has voiced her doubts about Van der Poel’s
approach to his mountain bike ambitions, particularly his dream of winning the
mountain bike world title.
Speaking on De Grote Plaat, the podcast hosted by Blaudzun
and John den Braber, van Vleuten said she enjoys watching Van der Poel race,
especially when he’s on form like he was at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.
But when it comes to mountain biking, she didn’t hold back.
"It's apparently a very big dream of his. Sometimes I
think when I see him: if you're going to do something, do it right. If he
really wants it, he should take it more seriously," she said, referencing
Van der Poel’s relatively casual build-up to past MTB events.
The comments come just weeks after Van der Poel returned to
mountain biking in May, only to crash and fracture his wrist, cutting short
what was meant to be a key block of preparation.
“He also said very laconically, I only touched it once. But
the sport has now developed so far that that is not possible,” van Vleuten
added. “I also think it is almost disrespectful to the mountain bikers to come
cycling in between them like that.”
Her point isn’t that Van der Poel lacks the ability, she’s
adamant he has the talent to win, but that mountain biking now demands full
commitment. “I actually think it's great that the mountain bikers show that
it's a sport that you have to prepare for seriously. I think it was also in
Tokyo that he didn't go for the course and only arrived there quite late. That
kind of thing, it's just not possible. You can't just add it on.”
Still, van Vleuten offered a more light-hearted suggestion:
“Would Mathieu also ask Puck for advice, how she approaches things?” she said,
referring to Dutch mountain bike star Puck Pieterse. “I've had Tom Dumoulin
call me for advice in my career, about an altitude training camp or something.
I actually say to Mathieu: call Puck, haha.”
Remember, Van der Poel has world titles on the road and
gravel, and won a record equalling seventh cyclocross title earlier this year.
He has said openly before that the title he wants more than any other is the
mountain bike rainbow jersey, but this will be an uphill challenge.
Despite her criticism of his mountain bike planning, van
Vleuten had nothing but praise for Van der Poel’s recent road form. “He was
really flying into it. If you race like Mathieu does, you can do a good block.
And that's hard to imitate in training,” she said of his performances at the
Dauphiné.
She suggested that Alpecin-Deceuninck may have deliberately
let Van der Poel race more freely after a difficult experience in last year’s
Tour de France. “It seemed like he had some kind of agreement with his team.
Last year he had so little fun in the Tour de France that it seemed like he had
been given a kind of carte blanche to fly into it.”
That freedom, van Vleuten says, is what makes him special.
“The Tour de France is a much more controlled race and he can't race there like
he did in the Dauphiné and then it's really nice to see Mathieu in such a race
where the fun is palpable. That's why I think he's such a great role model.
That's how I like to see him best.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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