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The 2024 Paris Olympic Video games has been inflicting complications and altering schedules already for riders with the prospects of profitable gold medals. Mathieu van der Poel is likely one of the riders who should journey an unorthodox calendar to make sure he, first qualifies, then has an opportunity to struggle for victory on the mountain bike cross-country occasion and highway race in Paris.
Van der Poel, a champion throughout each disciplines, has made it clear he needs to focus on the mountain bike race on the Olympics and rectify his disappointing look in Tokyo, that noticed him crash on the opening lap and injure his again.
The present highway and cyclocross World Champion will, after all, additionally wish to journey the Tour de France in his rainbow stripes and goal some punchy phases whereas additionally main out Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen as he did in 2023.
Nonetheless, with the lads’s MTB race in Paris arriving on July 29, simply eight days after the climax of the 2024 Tour de France in Good, how will Van der Poel assemble his summer time racing calendar?
“Finishing the Tour will not be very best in view of his mountain bike ambitions in Paris,” mentioned the MTB nationwide coach of the Netherlands, Gerben de Knegt, to Sporza.
“The Tour ends on Sunday, July 21, and mountain biking in Paris is already on this system 8 days later. That implies that Mathieu ought to journey to Paris on Wednesday or Thursday after the Tour in order that he nonetheless has a number of days to discover the MTB course.”
De Knegt tried to supply an answer the place Van der Poel may nonetheless be current for the Grand Départ in Florence as World Champion however with an early exit.
“For instance, he may abandon simply after the gravel stage, which is simply earlier than the first relaxation day [on July 7]. Then there are nonetheless 3 weeks till the Olympic MTB race,” mentioned De Knegt.
De Knegt wasn’t nervous about Van der Poel competing in each though the lads’s highway race is just 5 days later. The Dutchman additionally regarded like one of many early favourites even this far out after the punchy Classics-style route in and round Paris was revealed at this yr’s Tour.
“The mixture of mountain biking and highway racing on the Video games is possible,” mentioned De Knegt. “The one query is whether or not mountain biking is the perfect preparation for the highway race. In the end each bicycle has 2 pedals and Mathieu can pedal very arduous on them.
“Mathieu realizes that he should make selections, however he’s the least involved about it of everybody.”
If Van der Poel is to achieve the off-road self-discipline, he should higher the cross-country World Champion and defending Olympic Champion, who he is aware of very nicely from the highway and cyclocross world, Tom Pidcock.
Pidcock will journey the identical schedule on the Paris Olympics as Van der Poel with each the highway race and MTB cross-country in his targets, with defending his title from Tokyo set as an enormous aim for the season.
The Brit’s coach Kurt Bogaerts revealed earlier at present that Pidcock’s highway schedule will function a desire for the Ardennes Classics over the Flemish cobbled races.
Pidcock will even possible battle with deciding between staying on the Tour de France till stage 21 come summer time, as he continues his journey to changing into extra of a GC rider in step with Ineos Grenadiers’ ambitions to return to the highest step of the largest race.
“The intention is for Tom to take part in each mountain biking and highway racing in Paris,” mentioned Bogaerts to Het Nieuwsblad. “His ambition is Olympic gold once more. The highway journey is a bit more difficult, but it surely’s an excellent factor that the mountain biking is already over. The explosiveness of that self-discipline can come in useful within the highway race.”
Pidcock has acknowledged he needs one other gold medal in mountain biking on the Olympic Video games.
“Subsequent yr, I wish to go and defend my title on the Olympics, however I additionally want as many factors as I can get,” mentioned Pidcock to Pink Bull’s Simply Trip podcast on the finish of the final highway season.
“But in addition I’ve acquired to stability that with the staff, and so they want me, need me on the Tour, so I’ve to be there and be my finest on the Tour, and I’ve eight days between the top of the Tour and the Olympics.
“Hopefully I ought to come out of the Tour in a greater situation, that means that in eight days I may be prepared. It may be on the restrict, it isn’t going to be straightforward, however I am giving myself the most effective probability.”
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