Mathieu van der Poel: Cycling star at Tour de France and MTB World Championships

After completing the spring classics, Mathieu van der Poel is currently in a race-free phase. Nothing was previously known about his further programme for 2026. Now the Dutchman has revealed the first details of his plans in an interview with the Spanish sports newspaper AS during an event organised by his personal sponsor Richard Mille. "We are in the process of putting together my programme for the Tour de France, which I will certainly take part in," explained van der Poel. The Tour de France is the most important goal for the coming months. Which races he will take part in before the Tour of France has yet to be decided. It is likely that some mountain bike races will be part of the preparation, said the Alpecin - Premier Tech rider. Participating in the Tour de France 2026 would be van der Poel's sixth time in the prestigious tour.

Preparation with a mountain bike race

According to van der Poel, the specific structure of the preparation programme for the 2026 Tour de France has not yet been finalised. However, the Dutchman hinted that mountain bike competitions would probably be part of his preparation programme. In addition to road cycling and cyclocross, van der Poel has mastered this discipline at world-class level. The combination of different cycling disciplines allows him to train different skills and build up his form. Which specific races he will compete in before the Tour de France has yet to be decided together with his team, the athlete told AS.

Mountain Bike World Championship

In addition to his big goal, the Tour of France, the Dutchman has another participation on the horizon. He has yet to win a world championship title in mountain biking. MvdP" definitely wants to be on the start line at the World Championships in Val di Sol. In an interview, he said: "Nobody has ever won world championship titles in all disciplines. That would be very special." He is referring to his successes in gravel, cyclocross and road cycling, where he has already won world championship titles.