The 2026 World Championships are seemingly almost around the corner. And while most pre-race favourites have jumped at the opportunity presented to travel to Canada early and have a hands-on recon of the Championship course during the Grand Prix de Montréal, that does not apply to Mathieu van der Poel who remains in Spain for now.
Van der Poel's big goal for this summer was to claim the mountain bike throne at the World Championships in Val di Sole. And after the promising second place in Les Gets one week prior, it seemed as though everything was moving in the right direction for the Dutchman...
But when the rainbow race came, Van der Poel found himself overwhelmed. Not only by specialists who enjoyed their hard-earned privileged starting positions, but also by Olympic champion Tom Pidcock who had to deal with the same ordeal - start from fifth row.
Unlike the Dutchman, Pidcock comfortably reached the front of the race in time to drop everyone on the final lap and cruise to his second world title.
The contrast could not be clearer; Pidcock - seemingly at ease - celebrated victory meanwhile Van der Poel did not get further than some 15th position and eventually slid back to a final 30th place.
Switch of focus
The season is not over yet for Van der Poel though. He can "fix everything" at the road World Championships in two weeks. In the absence of Tadej Pogacar, the hilly course in Montréal brings forth several serious contenders. Among them Van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel or Paul Seixas. But while the two climbers are already present in Canada and have competed in the GP de Québec on Friday, Van der Poel is enjoying sun at the south of Spain.
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This has been confirmed indirectly by Van der Poel's training partner Fredy Ovett via Strava. On the day of race in Québec, Van der Poel and Ovett clocked in a 5-hour ride which included 2,800 meters of altitude spread across 162 kilometers.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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