Mathieu van der Poel pulls out of MTB Short Track after road race crash - "After the finish I immediately noticed that I had hurt myself"

Mathieu van der Poel looks to put in a strong performance on Saturday's XCO World Championships so as to gather points to assure his place at next year's Olympic Games. His run-up is less than ideal however, his crash in the road race has left him injured and he now pulls out of the Short track race last minute.

“I still suffered a bit from that crash. Because of the adrenaline I didn't feel it during the race, but after the finish I immediately noticed that I had hurt myself," Van der Poel told AD. After attacking towards victory in Glasgow he took a tumble in a wet right-hander and although he powered through into the finish seemingly unharmed, after the finale he began to feel the impact. "I now ride two or three laps here every day to get used to the course. Saturday's goal will be difficult enough."

This Thursday's race would certainly suit the Dutchman, but with some injuries on his right side he's opted to miss out on the race and focus on his recovery ahead of the weekend. He is not set to be a big favourite for the victory but will be expected to end close to the front. “A place in the top ten, maybe top fifteen at the World Championships should suffice," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

Alpecin-Deceuninck DS Christoph Roodhoft added: “This is an opportunity for him to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Paris, but there will be more opportunities after that. We should not expect miracles, although we also know that Mathieu van der Poel in top form can surprise everyone and also himself.”