"I have zero to no expectations" - Mathieu van der Poel cools talk surrounding Mountain Bike World Championships

After his stunning victory in Sunday's men's elite World Championships road race, Mathieu van der Poel will return to action, looking to double up with the Mountain Bike title. The Dutchman however, is trying his best to cool expectations.

"I have zero to no expectations, to be honest, for the mountain bike race," Van der Poel told Zwift in an interview in Glasgow. "I decided in La Plagne that I would give it a try, but in my head only the road race counted and my mind was only on the road race, to be honest. I will see how it goes and if it goes well it's nice. If it doesn't go well it's not even a disappointment because I don't really expect anything. It's been a long time since I've been on the mountain bike."

Read also

David Valero, clear about the Mountain Bike World Championship: "Van der Poel is not the rival to beat"

Van der Poel is considered by many to be one of the favourites for the title in a race that will also include fellow road stars Peter Sagan and Tom Pidcock. "It's just that if everything goes well and luck is on my side, I have a chance to qualify for the Olympics and that's the main reason why we decided to give it a go," says van der Poel.

"Anyway, I was here after the road so one more week in Scotland in this weather is not a punishment," he concludes.

Read also

Van der Poo-el? Dutchman forced to use Scottish couple's home toilet after call of nature during World Championship win