"He doesn't want to take any risks or make any mistakes" - Dutch pundit explains Van der Poel's absence from Friday's short-track
Mountain BikeSaturday, 29 August 2026 at 06:00
This Sunday might the biggest test of Mathieu van der Poel's career, at least in most recent years. The Dutchman will make yet another attempt at becoming the mountain bike champion. And this time, he arrives in great shape after a second place at Les Gets World Cup one week earlier.
With the rainbow jersey as a goal in mind, it is quite troublesome that the 31-year-old did not start in short-track race where he could secure a better starting position for himself. Now, he has to make the ends meet from all the way back in fifth row. On the bright side though, Van der Poel will be more fresh than his rivals who gave everything in the fast-paced 20-minute race. Including the main opponent Adrien Boichis who triumphed on Friday.
"The main course, the main event, is of course Sunday, the most classic distance," says Daniël Dwarswaard in the podcast In het Wiel. "But you can't say that this distance is only ridden to get a feel for it; a world title was simply at stake. These are winners, who want to win when the lights go out."
No point in racing short-track
Yet according to the Dutch experts, it only makes sense Van der Poel would take no risks right on the eve of a major objective of his season.
"Van der Poel has made Sunday such a major goal, and has done so all year, that he doesn't want to take any risks or make any mistakes," Roxane Knetemann explains. "He can't win anything in terms of a better starting position, because he has to start from the fifth row regardless. He just has a slightly different priority."
Additionally, there was not much to gain by participating in the often-chaotic short-track round. Not only does it not suit the 8-time Monument (250km+ races) champion, there's also a limit to what he can achieve from a poor starting position over eleven 1-kilometer laps. And even then, the start positions for Sunday's cross-country are already pre-determined.
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"The main event is Sunday. That is where Mathieu van der Poel will win an Olympic medal regardless. That doesn't mean this isn't a real world title, but it is different. It is also a very different effort. It is a sprint race; it goes very fast."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Stop being so modest. Why would you hear that from a birdie? You and Pog are such good friends I think he may have told you that when you called him before the start.
Andrew29-08-2026 - Without a doubt it has changed its login many times and probably has more that one login that it uses to support itself.Andrew29-08-2026
- He can but does he want to is what you should asking Mr Americano. XxxAndrew29-08-2026
- @frieders3 - I am reasonably certain his mouth gets well worked at the gymAndrew29-08-2026
- Your mouth gets overworked - at the gym also old man ?frieders329-08-2026
- Pretty sure his login has changed multiple times due to being kicked off this site for idiotic comments.frieders329-08-2026
- Wout was a monster today. I really thought his day would end after the intermediate sprint.DAS28-08-2026
- Does your nationality change depending on what login name you use?Andrew28-08-2026
- Once again - How do you know, not assume, but know they were French? Were you there, did you interview them to ascertain their nationality? We do know that some people in the crowd were boo-ing but have no idea of their nationality.Andrew28-08-2026
- I heard a little birdy say before todays stage: "Tweet tweet... Tadej Pogačar will allow a break away today but at the end of the race he will still show Mas who the real boss is in this Vuelta....just for fun... tweet tweet !!!"PogiSloFans28-08-2026
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