"I wouldn't put any money on Van der Poel as mountain bike world champion" - Commentator disillusioned by Nove Mesto performance
Mountain Bike
Mathieu van der Poel is already a top road rider, cyclocrosser and even proficient gravel warrior backed by nine world titles. However mountain bikes seem cursed for the Dutch phenomenon. And it's surprising as before his transition to road, Van der Poel was at the top of the feeding chain also in that discipline.
Tokyo 2021, World Championships 2023 and now Nove Mesto 2025 - his last three big MTB starts ended all with a DNF. "I don't know if you can underline that, but it is a pattern," Eurosport commentator Thijs van Amerongen analyzed afterwards. "He has tried it three times now with the same preparation and the result has been the same three times."
What seems to be main problem of Van der Poel? "He has not taken enough time to prepare himself properly. He can of course do a lot and he has already surprised us in every way. Van der Poel does not need nearly as much preparation as anyone else, but he does need more than this. He can't get away with sitting on the mountain bike twice either. We can certainly say that."
Van Amerongen would've preferred if the Dutchman had allocated more time for mountain bike-specific training. "I don't know his schedule, but he could have spent more time on the bike, right? He could have trained more on technique without getting too tired. It's more about the technical preparation than the physical."
Van der Poel made some comments about physical drawbacks, but the commentator doesn't think it was as much of an issue. "If you see how many riders were still together after four laps, he could have been there, even with bad legs and a bad condition. If Van der Poel had stayed calm and taken his time, he could have achieved a great result."
"Mountain biking is the most difficult and toughest discipline to start with. You can have as much power as you want, but you can't use it in mountain biking if you're not technically good enough. The sport has developed in such a way that it has become a completely unique sport with its own character," Van Amerongen explains.
World Championships
"I hope he really goes for the mountain bike World Championships and drops out after a week in the Tour de France. I'm a bit afraid of that though," he confesses to having doubts that would happen. "I wouldn't put any money on Van der Poel as mountain bike world champion at the moment."
"He has to be patient and take it seriously. Mountain biking is harder than cyclocross," says Van Amerongen. "I hope he's experienced that himself. Three times it was a silly fall that didn't mean much, but it was decisive."
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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