Mathieu van der Poel looking forward to Mixed Relay: "It's something new, so I'm always up for that,"
Cycling
After pulling out of the Primus Classic last weekend, van der Poel turned all his focus to Wollongong and the 2022 UCI Road World Championships. First up for him is the Mixed Relay event. The Mixed Relay involves 3 men and 3 women in a team time trial.
Joining van der Poel in the Netherlands team are Bauke Mollema, Daan Hoole, Riejanne Markus, Annemiek van Vleuten and Ellen van Dijk. A strong team to say the least, the Netherlands will go off 2nd to last with only Germany behind them.
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Van der Poel is no team time trial specialist however, in fact when asked when his last team time trial was he gave this revealing answer “I can't remember the last time. I think it was somewhere in the juniors, on regular bikes. So it's been a really long time.”
Whilst a victory in the Mixed Relay would no doubt be another great success to add to his ever growing palmares, the one he really wants is this Sunday's World Championship Road Race. A former 2 time national champion, van der Poel also has 4 Cyclocross World Championship wins to his name.
When asked his thoughts on Sunday's race he had the following, ominous response, “I have felt good the last few weeks. That's not a reference of course. It can go either way. I think it will be a very open race, especially on that course. That's something I'm looking forward to." An on form van der Poel who is enjoying himself is without a doubt enough to worry any of his major competitors for the rainbow jersey.
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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Mathieu van der Poel over Mixed Relay: “Laatste ploegentijdrit was bij de junioren” wielerflits.nl/nieuws/mathieu… 🇦🇺 #wielrennen #koers #cycling #Wollongong2022 @wollongong2022
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