Mathieu van der Poel ready for Olympic Games according to Dutch national coach: "He feels good and is looking forward to the Olympic Games"

Mathieu van der Poel experienced first hand the issues of being in a busy hotel during the 2022 World Championships. Luckily for him, the Dutch cycling team is staying far from the Olympic village the coach of the Dutch group says; in an interview running through some of it's riders and the first feelings from the course in Paris.

The World Champion is looking to add to his palmarès a big title, and has put in a lot of focus to perform in a very suiting route in Paris. “As always, it is very short and sweet. He already sent a thumbs up and fortunately no thumbs down. He indicates that he feels good and is looking forward to the Olympic Games," national team coach Klaas Moorenhout told Wielerflits.

Read also

Discover the startlist of men's 2024 Paris Olympic Games road race - Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Tom Pidcock, Julian Alaphilippe and more

Van der Poel raced the Tour de France last year without showing great form, but two weeks later at the Glasgow World Championships he showed his very best level. Here it could be a similar situation, and preparation-wise the Dutchman seemed to be on the same step. The team will have three riders, against a few nations that will have four which is a slight disadvantage and will prove complicated in a race that is set to be extremely chaotic. With him will be Dylan van Baarle and Daan Hoole (who also raced the time-trial):

On Dylan van Baarle: “I am getting very good feedback from Dylan. Of course I was a bit shocked after his fall in the Dauphine. At that moment you wonder whether it is realistic that he can be in good shape for the Olympic competition. The operation took place immediately. He was able to cycle again quite quickly and immediately started training at altitude," Moorenhout adds. "Dylan has a good morale and is one hundred percent confident that he will be in top form at the start on Saturday. Of course, the world mountain bike title of his girlfriend Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has given him extra motivation. He is very proud of that. After all, they have trained together in Tignes in recent weeks. That strengthens his confidence.”

Read also

Olympic Champion Tom Pidcock could be on his way out of INEOS Grenadiers

He and Daan Hoole have already explored the hilly circuit in the French capital, in anticipation to the big race this Saturday. He thinks the weather can play a role in this race: “That was not easy in these temperatures. Then you know immediately that those climbs around Montmartre feel very different at 30 degrees than at 24 degrees. That can have a major influence on the toughness of the race.”

"...The Olympic race is special because there are only ninety riders at the start. Furthermore, it is a challenging course of over 270 kilometers.”

Read also

"We'll definitely be in the running” - Team GB optimistic Tom Pidcock can double up at 2024 Paris Olympic Games in men's road race

"Strictly speaking it costs us a bonus" - Patrick Lefevere claims Remco Evenepoel's Olympic title win doesn't mean much for Soudal - Quick-Step