“The question now is how strong that World Championship dream is” – De Knegt intrigued about Mathieu van der Poel mountain bike ambitions
Mountain Bike
Mathieu van der Poel’s long awaited return to mountain
biking ended in disaster on Sunday, with the Dutch superstar crashing out of
the UCI World Cup round in Nové Město and later being diagnosed with a scaphoid
fracture in his wrist. After just thirty minutes of racing (and two falls) van
der Poel abandoned the race, leaving serious questions about the viability of
his mountain bike ambitions this season.
The injury has naturally raised concern about his Tour de
France participation, with the Grand Départ just over five weeks away. But
early signs from doctors and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team suggest his road
calendar remains intact, with modifications likely to training and equipment to
reduce wrist impact. The real casualty, it seems, could be his dream of winning
the mountain bike rainbow jersey in 2025.
“I can imagine that this will be a difficult story,” Dutch
national coach Gerben de Knegt told Het Nieuwsblad in the aftermath of
the crash. The timing of the injury, and the demands of van der Poel’s road
programme, have thrown his off-road goals into doubt.
It’s not the first time van der Poel has suffered misfortune
in the dirt. He crashed out of the 2023 Mountain Bike World Championships in
Glasgow and famously hit the deck in Tokyo at the 2021 Olympics, where he had
entered as a favourite. For a rider whose palmarès spans multiple disciplines
and monuments, mountain biking remains the only discipline where he has
consistently fallen short of his ambitions.
“I will contact Mathieu soon,” De Knegt said, “but I can
imagine that he already feels that the World Championships in September will be
a difficult story. Mathieu simply does not have much time for mountain biking.
We should be happy that he wants to put time into it at all.”
Van der Poel’s programme is already among the busiest in the
peloton. His spring classics campaign this year saw him win both Paris–Roubaix
and Milano-Sanremo, and he is expected to play a central role for
Alpecin-Deceuninck at the Tour de France in July, both as a potential stage
winner and lead out man for Jasper Philipsen. Finding time for a dedicated
mountain bike block between the Tour and World Championships, held in late
August and September, is no easy task.
Van der Poel has already said he will not go to the road
world championships this year, instead to prioritise the mountain bike race.
But before he gets there, he will have three weeks of racing at the Tour de
France of July.
There’s no doubt he will be in supreme shape for the mountain
biking, but will he have enough time to prepare for the specific skillset
needed for the race? We cannot underestimate just how different road racing and
mountain biking are; two entirely different sports.
Read also
“But it is clear that he has to put more time into it if he
really wants to do it,” De Knegt added. “That will be very difficult with his
road program.”
There is still a narrow path forward. “Suppose he could
focus on the mountain bike for a month or a month and a half, then a lot is
possible,” the coach said. “The only question is whether that is possible in
his program and whether he can decide for himself.”
Van der Poel’s goals have always stretched across
disciplines, and few riders in history have achieved so much in so many arenas,
from seven cyclocross world titles to eight monument wins, to his 2023 World
Championship road title. But even for a generational talent, something has to
give.
“The question now is how strong that World Cup dream
actually is,” De Knegt concluded. “I'm curious about that too.”
🏥 Medical update on @mathieuvdpoel #AlpecinDeceuninck #MVDP pic.twitter.com/adfrJXUAxz
— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) May 26, 2025
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
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
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
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
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment