Can the Tabor mud be Mathieu van der Poel's biggest obstacle? "It is much heavier than expected"

Tabor is a race that has often in the past been quite explosive, but taking place in February this year deep into the European winter, the track is quite muddy for the riders this weekend. Mathieu van der Poel as surprised by these conditions after exploring the course.

“It is much heavier than expected. I'm happy that I was able to ride a few laps, because the course is very different than I expected,” van der Poel shared with Wielerflits this morning in the Czech Republic. “This is real cyclocross, a lot more mud than I initially thought and expected.”

Most riders up to this point have already went through the track in Tabor. Earlier this week rain fell on the course, which alongside the very cold temperatures led to quite a bit of thaw. The track does not seem to drain the water much, and this led to the creation of a few ruts and muddy sections - but most importantly, make the climbs more difficult and more favourable to the riders who prefer the seated efforts.

This is not the style of the explosive van der Poel, and it could prove to be an unexpected obstacle for the five-time World Champion. “It is a fair course, where normally the rider with the best legs will become world champion. I feel good and am already looking forward to tomorrow.”