Mathieu van der Poel can end cycling career at USA's Olympic Games: "It would be great to try to finish in LA on the mountain bike"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel, already a six-time cyclocross world
champion, has a chance to claim his seventh title this season. In addition to
his dominance in cyclocross, Van der Poel has proven his versatility by winning
the road world championship and the gravel world championship earlier this
year. However, there remains one glaring omission from his rainbow jersey
collection: the mountain biking world title.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck superstar has made no secret of his ambition to
prioritise mountain biking this year. “If I could choose, I would like to
become world champion mountain biker this year. I haven't succeeded yet and it
keeps playing in the back of my mind," Van der Poel admitted to Sporza.
In addition to the world title, an Olympic gold medal in
mountain biking also eludes him, a goal he hopes to achieve before retiring
from the sport. Reflecting on his Olympic ambitions, Van der Poel said, "I
have one more chance for that: Los Angeles 2028."
“LA will almost certainly be the last Games I participate
in,” calculated Van der Poel, who will be 33 by then. “It would be great to try
to finish in LA on the mountain bike.”
If Van der Poel was able to achieve yet another world title
in another category, he would move even further to status as the greatest all
round rider on two wheels. The question is, could 2025 be the Dutchman’s year
for mountain biking?
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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