“Probably the best round of golf I've ever played" – Mathieu van der Poel enjoys golf after skipping Rwanda World Championships

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. 

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.