04/12/2023

Mathieu van der Poel on rivalry with Wout van Aert: "It's never boring and I'm sure it will continue for a long time"

Mathieu van der Poel gave an interview to Nacho Labarga, partner of Marca newspaper, in which he has reviewed what he has achieved in an extraordinary 2023 season and in which he has given some details of what he expects from a 2024 season in which he hopes to continue achieving great achievements.

NEW SEASON PLANS

"Now it's back to work. I've already started training for the cyclocross season, which starts in December. I want to defend my world title here as well. We'll have several exciting races before, but then we'll look at the Czech Republic. I haven't fully studied the course, but I think it could suit me and, if I have a good day, maybe I can revalidate this victory. Looking at the route, my idea is to do 10-15 races and enjoy a good victory wearing the rainbow. I think my roadmap will be similar to this 2022."

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RAINBOW JERSEY

"I want to win important races wearing the rainbow jersey. I want to honor this jersey in the best possible way. For me, the fact that I was able to win it this year is definitely a dream come true."

5 MONUMENTS

"I don't know what my ceiling might be. Winning all five Monuments is not easy. The Giro di Lombardia is not the best for me. But, as I say, I always like to win races I haven't conquered yet."

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RIVALITY WITH WOUT VAN AERT

"I don't get tired of it. It's true that we've been challenging each other for years, but it's never boring and I'm sure it will continue for a long time."

TRIP TO SPAIN

"It's a possibility to come to La Vuelta a España. We'll see how we clear the calendar. After going to the [Olympic] Games, being in Spain is an open possibility. What I do say is that I want to win stages this year in a grand tour."

DESIRE IN THE NEW SEASON

"The first thing is always to be healthy. After that, I want to get some good victories in cyclocross and then, as I said, I want to be able to win in important places in the rainbow jersey".