"I’m going to try to use that to my advantage" - Mathieu van der Poel has one card up his sleeve into World Championships
CyclingFriday, 25 September 2026 at 11:00
A lot has been said of Mathieu van der Poel and his chances of winning this Sunday's World Championships in Montréal. The Dutchman has come clean on his hopes for the race, including a very fast finale and the opportunistic use of the lack of race radios.
The Alpecin - Premier Tech rider was able to explore the GP de Montréal course on Wednesday, which will be used to decide this year's rainbow jersey. It is not a race where in the past van der Poel has taken part in for the win, unlikely virtually all of his rivals.
“It went pretty well. Naturally, I didn’t encounter any surprises. It’s a beautiful but tough circuit. My initial assessment was correct, though that wasn't hard to gauge given the GP de Montréal. I judged that well," van der Poel shared with Wielerflits.
Two tactics have emerged as the ones he would on paper follow: Attack early and try to take advantage of the chaos; or race quite conservatively and save himself for the final two laps. But the Dutchman does not look at it through that spectrum.
“The harder the race, the better it is for me in the final 50 to 70 kilometers. Being able to sustain those power outputs in grueling races has always been my greatest strength. That opens up a lot of possible scenarios".
Mathieu van der Poel at the 2024 World Championships
No race radios benefit van der Poel
Van der Poel is looking to attack, and take advantage that the riders do not have race radios during the World Championships. This ultimately means it may become quite difficult for the riders to understand the race situation throughout the final hours of the event.
“That’s the beauty of the World Championships. Without earpieces, more things are possible than in the standard GP de Montréal. I’m looking forward to that," he admits, hinting at an early offensive tactic.
"I race on instinct, as always. You can map out a hundred scenarios, but only one will actually play out on Sunday. That’s what I like about the World Championships—no race radios. I’m going to try to use that to my advantage. Hopefully with a clever attack.”
Van der Poel aims for the same as Remco Evenepoel
Remco Evenepoel was World Champion in 2022, and Mathieu van der Poel achieved the same feat back in 2023. Realistically, only these two riders can take a second title win in Montréal, and will be eyeing similar tactics.
“It’s the most beautiful jersey in the peloton. Hopefully, I’ll get to wear it again," he said, which would come as an addition to the cyclocross world title which he currently holds.
His final race day came at the Tour de Luxembourg where he took a solo win from 175 kilometers out, providing him confidence into the decisive day. "Of course, that shows you’re in form, but the effort required here is really different from last Sunday’s".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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