“Probably the best round of golf I've ever played" – Mathieu van der Poel enjoys golf after skipping Rwanda World Championships
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel has already finished his season and is enjoying some time off before returning to competition in December, where he is expected to dominate cyclocross races as usual. The Dutch prodigy's last race was disappointing for his high standards, as he just managed to finish in 29th place at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, far from the winner Alan Hatherly.
Before that, he concluded his road season at the Renewi Tour in August, where he got a stage win and finished in second place in the overall classification, only three seconds behind Belgian talent Arnaud de Lie due to bonus seconds.
He will not be competing in the World Championships road race on Sunday, taking place in Rwanda, joining other notable absences such as those of Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert or Mads Pedersen. Instead, he has been trying a different sport than usual.
As shown in a picture he posted on his Instagram account, van der Poel has replaced the bike with golf clubs, at least temporarily. “Probably the best round of golf I've ever played,” he shared, in a picture taken at the prestigious Seawane Club in New York. He was not alone, as he was joined by notable figures, including Whoop CEO Will Ahmed and swimming legend Michael Phelps.
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As explained by Idlprocycling, the reason of the gathering was commercial, and it was related to the fitness bracelets, made by Whoop. The brand Whoop is a wearable technology company that focuses on health and performance optimization, with the 24/7 wristbands that monitor and analyze body data as their most recognizable product.
Van der Poel is one of the faces of the company, so that explains why he shared the golf course with both Whoop CEO Will Ahmed and Michael Phelps, who is also associated with Whoop.
Van der Poel was also spotted at the Ryder Cup, a prestigious golf tournament between 12-member teams from the United State and Europe taking place this weekend, accompanied by his girlfriend Roxanne Bertels. Cycling will likely take a backseat for now, although it will not take long until we can see him back in action again.
The seven-time cyclo-cross world champion still has a chance to equal Erik De Vlaeminck’s record of eight titles, which is surely one of his main goals. He will probably clash with Wout van Aert, who recently confirmed he will ride cyclocross as well.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Mathieu van der Poel enjoying the off-season in USA playing golf with Michael Phelps and with the WHOOP CEO and founder Will Ahmed. 🇺🇸
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