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"
Cycling
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."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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VAN DER POEL RIPS THE ROAD APART JSDFIOJSDFOIDSJFDS
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