“He was very clear that the World Championships would be his last race of the season”: Mathieu van der Poel skips Euros as Dutch team turn to Poels for Euros
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel had already made up his mind before the World Championships in Montreal: once the rainbow-jersey race was over, his season would be finished. According to Dutch national team coach Koos Moerenhout, there was never any serious consideration of adding the European Championships in Ljubljana to the former world champion's schedule.
“He was very clear that the World Championships would be his last race of the season,” Moerenhout said in a recent interview. The Dutch coach understands Van der Poel’s decision, particularly given the significant difference between the two courses.
Montreal offered a long and demanding route of around 270 kilometers, with the race ultimately won by Brandon McNulty after a succession of attacks among the leading contenders. Van der Poel completed the podium in third, taking bronze behind McNulty and Michael Matthews.
The European Championships, however, present a very different challenge. The Ljubljana course is considerably shorter (196km) but features a steep climb that will be tackled five times, making the race particularly demanding for riders who are not pure climbers.
“I think the course in Ljubljana is even more suited to climbers than the one in Montreal,” Moerenhout said. “There is a two-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 10 percent that has to be climbed five times. That makes it a very tough course.”
Mathieu van der Poel took bronze at the 2026 World Championship road race in Montreal
A very different race for the Netherlands
The absence of Van der Poel changes the Dutch team's approach to the European Championships. Moerenhout expects a race that develops differently from the World Championships, both because of the distance and because of the type of riders likely to remain in contention.
“That gives a very different dynamic. The European Championships cannot be compared with the World Championships. In Montreal it was a 270-kilometer race, while here we are riding almost 200 kilometers. That makes a big difference in the way the race unfolds,” he explained.
“Normally, more riders can handle that distance, whereas a World Championships is more in the category of the Monuments. Because of that, the group is much smaller in the finale.”
The Netherlands will therefore arrive in Slovenia without the rider who finished third in Montreal, and with a squad built more around developing younger riders and using the experience of its veterans.
One of those younger riders is Senna Remijn, who has attracted attention as one of the country's prospects for the future. Moerenhout sees the European Championships as an opportunity to give him valuable experience.
“He finds a nice course here that should suit him. He is also someone I would like to take along to get to know him better during a championship like this. In addition, it is important that he gains experience in this way. With those guys, we are mainly looking toward the future.”
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Poels takes the leadership role
With Van der Poel absent, Wout Poels will take on the leadership role for the Dutch team in Ljubljana. The course should suit the experienced climber, while his experience could also prove particularly valuable to a relatively young group.
“On this course, he should be able to perform well. In addition, with so many debutants in orange, he can play an important role as a mentor. Wout is someone who still lives for his profession at the highest level, so those young guys can learn a lot from him,” Moerenhout concluded.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
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