Mathieu van der Poel reveals the one win he desires more than all: "For the rest, it doesn't really matter to me"
Mountain Bike
Mathieu van der Poel has done a hell of a lot over the course of his career so far, with the 30-year-old Dutchman one of the most successful cyclists of his generation. According to the man himself however, there is still one race that he desires more than any other.
Already a world champion on the road, in cyclocross and in gravel, Van der Poel has his eyes firmly locked on adding another Rainbow Jersey to his palmares by the time his hangs up his bike for the final time, the Mountain Bike World Championships. "It would be really cool to become world champion mountain biking one day. That feels like the last piece of the puzzle of my career," explains the Alpecin-Deceuninck star in the magazine Helden. "I would really like to tick off that title. If I stop and the world title in mountain biking is missing, that would be the only thing I would think at the moment: too bad. For the rest, it doesn't really matter to me."
Notably, 2025 could even be the year that Van der Poel fulfils his desires too as the Dutchman is set to compete at the 2025 MTB World Championships. Previously, he told Sporza: “It is an ideal moment to focus on mountain biking again and to make the world title a big goal after the Tour de France. The plan is to do a few World Cup races too if it’s possible, I definitely want to do it. But that is only possible if it fits within my schedule."
With double Olympic champion in the discipline, Tom Pidcock focusing fully on his road goals in 2025 and the current Rainbow Jersey Alan Hatherly also shifting focus somewhat towards the road having impressed in early 2025 with Team Jayco AlUla, could Mathieu van der Poel soon be the reigning world champion in cyclocross, gravel and MTB simultaneously?
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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