After fighting and scrapping his way to a podium finish at Liege-Bastogne-Liege last Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel is now set for an extended break from the peloton.
When the world champion returns, van der Poel still has two main targets for the season, retaining the Rainbow Jersey at the World Championships and taking gold at the Olympic Games in Paris. How the Dutch superstar will prepare for these races remain something that is up in the air however, although for Belgian cycling expert, Michel Wuyts, a clear plan can be seen.
“It seems obvious to me that Mathieu van der Poel will compete in the road race at the Paris Olympics. I don't expect him in the time trial because tenth place means nothing to him. He has to go for Olympic gold,” says Wuyts on the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast for HLN. "Given the time span between the road race and the end of the Tour, I would tell Van der Poel that he should go to the Tour de France."
"Often about 12 days is ideal to recharge your batteries and get the body to an even higher level. And that is precisely the time span between the Olympic road race and the end of the Tour," Wuyts continues. "Van der Poel must then ride the Tour as he has been riding it for a few years now. Aim for a stage or two, work for Philipsen in between and ensure that in the last week he shifts his focus to what will make him sparkle: the Olympic Games.”
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