Mathieu van der Poel admits "I had expected a bit more" from the Olympic Games and reveals mountain bike dream for LA in 2028: "That would be a great ending"

Mathieu van der Poel went into the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with one sole focus: the men's elite road race. Sadly for the Dutchman however, things didn't go completely to plan, with Van der Poel having to settle for 12th place.

Now the dust has settled and the Olympic Games are over, Van der Poel has taken a moment of reflection in conversation with BN Destem. "I had expected a bit more," the 29-year-old admits honestly. "I had the legs I needed. I knew it would be a difficult race. That has proven to be the case."

Pre-race, Van der Poel was wise to the fact that the biggest threat he would face on the roads of Paris, would be the Belgian duo of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. With Evenepoel being the man to leave the race with a second gold medal, following his earlier victory in the individual time trial, this proved a wise prediction by Van der Poel and the many other experts and analysts. "That's the advantage of having two favourites that you can both play off," the world champion analyses of the Belgians. "When we rode away with the first group, I thought it was over. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case and Remco then seized the moment well."

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Van der Poel made the notable choice to focus solely on the road race, putting aside his goals of securing mountain bike gold. In the end, Tom Pidcock took his second successive Olympic title in a thrilling race. In Los Angeles in four years time however, Van der Poel is keen to finally claim an elusive mountain bike gold.

"Then I'll be nearing the end of my career and I'd like to get back on the mountain bike," he concludes. "Technically and physically very difficult. But it's a discipline in which I can release my energy and which I simply really enjoy doing. That would be a great ending."