Mathieu van der Poel tests his brother's fitness on training ride

It might be the off-season for most riders, but Mathieu van der Poel is not one to stay off the bike for long. The multi-discipline star recently embarked on a training ride with his brother, David van der Poel, showcasing his dedication even during the quieter months. The duo tackled a challenging 121-kilometre ride from the Spanish coast, with David humorously hinting at the intensity of the session by captioning his Strava post with just an emoji: '☠️'.

Cycling runs deep in the van der Poel family. Mathieu and David are the sons of former professional cyclist Adrie van der Poel, and their grandfather was the legendary French cyclist Raymond Poulidor.

While Mathieu van der Poel is currently focusing on ‘easy’ training rides, he has yet to announce when his cyclocross campaign will officially kick off. Van der Poel is eyeing his seventh cyclocross world title, adding to an impressive list of achievements. Most recently, he claimed the gravel world title, adding another accolade to his growing collection, which includes his road world title from Glasgow in 2023.

Fans eagerly await news on van der Poel's cyclocross plans as he continues to balance multiple disciplines and chase his ninth overall world title.