Clásica Jaén aims to lure Mathieu van der Poel with 'interesting offer'

Next Monday marks the fifth edition of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior. Over the past few years, this Spanish gravel race has been making significant strides, and the organizers remain ambitious. Next year, they hope to have Mathieu van der Poel at the start line.

In an interview with Marca, Pascual Momparler, the driving force behind the Clásica Jaén, says it is his dream to sign Van der Poel. "I haven’t approached Van der Poel yet, but I have good contacts and know how to negotiate with him," Momparler reveals. "Next year, we will try to make him an interesting and convincing offer, just like we did with Pidcock this year."

Season start in February?
Pidcock accepted that offer, as the Brit will start in Jaén next Monday after kicking off his season on Friday at the Vuelta a la Región de Murcia. Van der Poel has consistently started his road season in March in recent years. That gives him more time after the Cyclocross World Championships, which typically take place the first weekend of February. It’s still unclear if and how much Van der Poel will race cyclocross in the winter of 2026-2027.

The last time Van der Poel began his road season in February was in 2021. On February 21, he won the opening stage of the UAE Tour, but a day later Alpecin-Fenix withdrew from the race because a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. A week later, MVDP did compete in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. This year, he may kick off his spring campaign at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but no final decision has been made yet.

Tadej Pogacar
The Clásica Jaén organization isn’t only aiming for Van der Poel. Tadej Pogacar, who won the one-day race in 2023, is also high on the wishlist. But Momparler expects it will be tough to entice the Slovenian to participate again.

"The big issue is that he wants to race less this year and spend more time at home," he explains. "If he starts his season earlier, the UAE Tour is the obvious choice since he rides for UAE Emirates and they definitely want him there in the Emirates. However, they might be changing equipment next year, so if he has new wheelsets then, our race could serve as a good test."