False alarm! Mathieu van der Poel delays mountain bike return

Last month, excitement grew around the return of Mathieu van der Poel to mountain biking, with reports stating he would compete at the Bike the Rock event in Germany this weekend, May 18th. However, it now appears those reports were premature.

Despite early announcements, Van der Poel will not be racing at Bike the Rock, part of the MTB Bundesliga in Germany, this weekend. Instead, it is now expected that the Dutchman will make his mountain bike comeback the following weekend at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Nové Město, Czech Republic.

The change in schedule will come as a disappointment to the Bike the Rock organisers, who may have been too quick to confirm his participation. While Bike the Rock is a well-regarded event, it is not part of the World Cup series, and that may have influenced Van der Poel’s decision to skip it.

Nové Město, on the other hand, holds fond memories for Van der Poel. He won there in 2019 and finished a close second behind Tom Pidcock in 2021 during his last appearance in the discipline. He has also twice won the short track race at Nové Město and placed second once. However, he will not be eligible to compete in the short track this year, as it is reserved for riders ranked in the top 40 of the UCI mountain bike rankings, a list Van der Poel is currently absent from given his lack of mountain biking recently.

Still, the Nové Město XCO race will mark a significant step in Van der Poel’s attempt to complete his collection of rainbow jerseys.

Now 30, Van der Poel has just concluded another spectacular spring on the road and in cyclocross. He took a record-equalling seventh cyclocross world title earlier in the year and followed it with a third straight victory at Paris-Roubaix. He also added wins at the E3 Saxo Classic and Milano–Sanremo to cap off his dominant campaign.

Already a world champion in cyclocross, gravel, and road, Van der Poel has long admitted that the mountain bike world title is the one glaring omission from his palmarès, and one he is determined to rectify. It appears he sees that title as more important than adding more Tour de France stage wins to his collection.

Though he hasn’t raced in mountain biking since 2023, his long-term plan is clear. Following the Tour de France 2025, Van der Poel will turn his full focus to mountain biking, with the world championships firmly in his sights.