“There is no one who can put more pressure on me than myself” - Mathieu van der Poel on dealing with the expectations of being World Champion

Having just signed a ten-year deal with Canyon, as well as a brand new contract with his Alpecin-Deceuninck team until 2028, Mathieu van der Poel is at the peak of his powers in cycling at the moment and seems to have no plans of standing still in 2024.

Although the Dutchman failed to defend his victory at Milano-Sanremo last weekend, he was integral in Jasper Philipsen taking his first Monument win, as he dragged his teammate back into contention, pulling at the front of the leading group to chase down Tom Pidcock in the finale.

Looking ahead to the upcoming cobbled Classics, Van der Poel will be attempting to repeat his win at Paris-Roubaix from last season and take his third victory at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. He will also be taking on the Ardennes Classics for the first time in a few years, as he will be heading to both the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège next month.

Van der Poel is a former winner of the Amstel Gold Race, which is the only Dutch one-day race on the WorldTour calendar, as he took a shock victory in the race in 2019.

Reflecting on that day in an interview with Canyon, he said “it is certainly special that I was able to win the only really big competition in the Netherlands in the Dutch champion jersey at the time. That victory also heralded my breakthrough as a road cyclist. That was five years ago now. Time flies”.

With the younger generation currently emerging in the sport, Van der Poel is still confident that he can remain competitive in the coming years, as he said “when I see debuting riders of 18 or 19 years old winning straight away. I am ten years older, but I still believe that my best years are yet to come”.

Having won the World Championships Road Race in Glasgow last year, Van der Poel is wearing the rainbow bands on his back this season. On the pressure that comes with that jersey, he said “I am now used to the pressure and high expectations. When I was younger, I would sometimes get nervous. But now there is no one who can put more pressure on me than myself. I want to perform and win. That pushes me forward”.

Van der Poel is also the Cyclocross World Champion and is now only one title away from Erik De Vlaeminck’s record of winning seven times after taking the victory in Tábor. On potentially equalling the record next season, the Dutchman said “I am now close to a historic achievement and so it is certainly a goal. I still love the cross. You haven't seen the last of me in the field. It is a discipline that I started when I was six years old. It is my first passion, although my focus has now shifted a bit to road cycling and mountain biking”.