Mathieu van der Poel hopes to make a bid for a first world title in a fourth discipline this Sunday. After the Cyclocross, Road, and Gravel World Championships, the 30-year-old Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck aims to make history by also winning the Mountain Bike World Championships. Many things will need to go his way, but national coach Gerben de Knegt feels that something special could happen this Sunday in Crans-Montana. He shared this with WielerFlits.
Before departing for Switzerland, we already saw MVDP training in his offroad shoes during a gravel ride. Remarkable, since almost all road pros use road shoes during the Gravel Worlds. This must have been with the MTB Worlds in mind. A first sign of intention. Also, it’s unlike Mathieu van der Poel to travel more than a week in advance to a race. Yet, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader has already been in the Swiss Alps since last weekend. And he’s really enjoying it there, De Knegt notes. But most importantly: this time Van der Poel doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. He’s pulling out all the stops.
Enjoyment as foundation for success
“What also plays a role is that he can be very low profile here,” the national coach observes. “He’s already had a nice round of golf, he trains for four hours on the road without anyone stopping him for a photo or an autograph. That’s nice for Mathieu as well, because in Belgium, for example, he can’t normally go out to eat. On the course, he can also just do his thing, which is quite different from racing in the Tour de France. This is a beautiful region too, so a few factors come together. He can do many things here that he enjoys most but rarely gets the chance to.”
Additionally, MVDP hopes to still grow a bit this week. “He told me that in Les Gets (sixth place, ed.) he didn’t have the super legs he had felt before. And that the Renewi Tour (second in the overall classification with a stage win, ed.) was good but not great. He’s been searching for that good feeling here. In that sense, I like seeing that he radiates relaxation and enjoyment these days. When you see Mathieu riding here, you see the little kid from his cyclocross days when his dad Adrie was still racing. Playing around a bit on the bike and having fun. He’s in his element.”
photo: Cor Vos
“Maybe that’s something worth noting,” De Knegt continues. “You start cycling because you enjoy it. Many offroad riders begin with mountain biking or cyclocross because they like to jump and slide around a bit. At a later age, it takes on a more serious form. I really appreciate that Mathieu shows vulnerability. Everyone is watching him and things can pretty much only go wrong. But he still takes that risk because he wants to allow the element of having fun. I can respect that. Mathieu doesn’t do it for the money.”
Vital importance of the start
The conditions for a top result seem to be in place. Yet his World Championship dream rises or falls with the start. Van der Poel secured a position on the fifth starting row thanks to his UCI ranking on the road (second in the world) and in cyclocross (eighth). UCI regulations state that riders ranked in the top 20 on the road and top 10 in cyclocross can start at the MTB Worlds on the fifth row, meaning positions 32 to 40. That was the case in Les Gets where MVDP managed to finish sixth. But this time it has to be better.
“There he definitely didn’t get off well,” De Knegt says. “In fact, he lost some positions. You’re really dependent on others for Mathieu’s starting position. You can’t influence it. You simply need luck. Take Nové Mesto in May, for example. There he hooked handlebars with David Valero at the start. Everyone says: ‘yeah, you shouldn’t do that.’ But just to be clear: in cyclocross, he’s done it dozens of times. Then everyone always says it’s brilliant. But there’s a risk involved. And when it goes wrong once, the whole world comes down on you.”
photo: Cor Vos
According to the national coach, however, that risk is necessary. “Mathieu will need to find a balance between controlled overtaking where possible, but also occasionally taking a measured risk. If he truly wants to compete for the win, it would be great if he could complete the first lap in positions ten to fifteen — without big time gaps. He’s driven that start lane twenty times or so. Is winning purely dependent on that start? No. But if he rides the first lap like in Les Gets, winning is almost impossible. The course is too narrow for that.”
Hoping for a strong ‘cyclocross’ day
One encouraging sign for Van der Poel was his strong climbing performance in Les Gets. For about five to six laps, he seemed the best climber. “Mind you, he already won the mountainous World Cup race in Val di Sole, where he beat the entire world elite. In Les Gets, the lead group held back a bit, waiting for him to come. But I also thought he climbed very well. The point is, Les Gets is much more spacious. Crans-Montana is a lot narrower after the first 500 meters, and you get stuck behind your predecessor much faster. That’s why the start is so crucial.”
Another advantage: currently, there is no undisputed top favorite. Luca Martin won in Les Gets thanks to brilliant descents and is a top favorite alongside Luca Braidot, Victor Koretzky, and Alan Hatherley. “Martin is a kamikaze rider,” counters De Knegt. “Because of that, he crashes quite often and frequently punctures. We can’t forget Chris Blevins or Simon Andreassen either. There are seven to nine riders who could all be on the podium this Sunday. But Mathieu can beat all those names on a good day.”
Especially on the Crans-Montana course, De Knegt believes. “Compared to last year, there’s no very dangerous section anymore. The rock garden has been filled with stones and gravel, there’s now carpet on the drop over the tree roots, and no descents where you can just lose four or five seconds. This course also has some cyclocross-specific elements: a bit off-camber, a bit slippery. Mathieu is very good at that. Also, it’s more of a forest floor ground rather than gravel like in Les Gets. Depending on the lap, we expect a World Championship race of an hour and twenty minutes or an hour and thirty-five minutes. The latter isn’t bad for Mathieu.”
If MVDP gets into the race well and quickly finds himself back in the favorites group, something is definitely possible. “Mathieu has a plan for how he wants to do it. He’s putting it into action now, and I can only applaud that. He tasted in Les Gets that he’s competitive and that he can be even better. By spending more hours on the mountain bike and sharpening his descents, he can increase his chances of winning. Mathieu feels he has a serious shot at competing for the world title. He’s done everything within his means.”
- photo: Cor Vos
