Van der Poel could solve Olympics puzzle with Tour de France exit after gravel stage

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games has been causing headaches and altering schedules already for riders with the prospects of winning gold medals. Mathieu van der Poel is one of the riders who will have to ride an unorthodox calendar to ensure he, first qualifies, then has a chance to fight for victory at the mountain bike cross-country event and road race in Paris. 

Van der Poel, a champion across both disciplines, has made it clear he wants to target the mountain bike race at the Olympics and rectify his disappointing appearance in Tokyo, that saw him crash on the opening lap and injure his back.

The current road and cyclocross World Champion will, of course, also want to ride the Tour de France in his rainbow stripes and target some punchy stages while also leading out Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen as he did in 2023. 

However, with the men’s MTB race in Paris arriving on July 29, just eight days after the climax of the 2024 Tour de France in Nice, how will Van der Poel construct his summer racing calendar?

"Completing the Tour is not ideal in view of his mountain bike ambitions in Paris," said the MTB national coach of the Netherlands, Gerben de Knegt, to Sporza.

"The Tour ends on Sunday, July 21, and mountain biking in Paris is already on the program 8 days later. That means that Mathieu should travel to Paris on Wednesday or Thursday after the Tour so that he still has a few days to explore the MTB course."

De Knegt tried to provide a solution where Van der Poel could still be present for the Grand Départ in Florence as World Champion but with an early exit. 

"For example, he could abandon just after the gravel stage, which is just before the 1st rest day [on July 7]. Then there are still 3 weeks until the Olympic MTB race," said De Knegt. 

De Knegt wasn't worried about Van der Poel competing in both even though the men’s road race is only five days later. The Dutchman also looked like one of the early favourites even this far out after the punchy Classics-style route in and around Paris was revealed at this year’s Tour.

"The combination of mountain biking and road racing at the Games is feasible," said De Knegt. "The only question is whether mountain biking is the ideal preparation for the road race. Ultimately every bicycle has 2 pedals and Mathieu can pedal very hard on them.

"Mathieu realizes that he will have to make choices, but he is the least concerned about it of everyone."

If Van der Poel is to succeed in the off-road discipline, he will have to better the cross-country World Champion and defending Olympic Champion, who he knows very well from the road and cyclocross world, Tom Pidcock. 

Pidcock will ride the same schedule at the Paris Olympics as Van der Poel with both the road race and MTB cross-country in his targets, with defending his title from Tokyo set as a huge goal for the season. 

The Brit’s coach Kurt Bogaerts revealed earlier today that Pidcock’s road schedule will feature a preference for the Ardennes Classics over the Flemish cobbled races. 

Pidcock will also likely struggle with deciding between staying at the Tour de France until stage 21 come summer, as he continues his journey to becoming more of a GC rider in line with Ineos Grenadiers’ ambitions to return to the top step of the biggest race. 

“The intention is for Tom to participate in both mountain biking and road racing in Paris,” said Bogaerts to Het Nieuwsblad. “His ambition is Olympic gold again. The road ride is a little more complicated, but it's a good thing that the mountain biking is already over. The explosiveness of that discipline can come in handy in the road race.”

Pidcock has stated he wants another gold medal in mountain biking at the Olympic Games.

"Next year, I want to go and defend my title at the Olympics, but I also need as many points as I can get," said Pidcock to Red Bull's Just Ride podcast at the end of the last road season. 

"But also I've got to balance that with the team, and they need me, want me at the Tour, so I have to be there and be my best at the Tour, and I have eight days between the end of the Tour and the Olympics.

"Hopefully I should come out of the Tour in a better condition, meaning that in eight days I can be ready. It's going to be on the limit, it's not going to be easy, but I'm giving myself the best chance."