Mathieu van der Poel has revealed he’ll start his 2025 highway season at Tirreno-Adriatico in mid-March after which goal the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and an early stage victory on the Tour de France.
He won’t journey the hilly UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda however as a substitute desires to focus on a primary cross-country mountain bike world title in Valais, Switzerland in early September.
“It will look a bit the identical as final 12 months. The focus is on the Belgian classics, that is what I’m greatest at,” van der Poel informed Sporza and different media throughout the Alpecin-Decuninink media day in Spain.
“It is a perfect second to give attention to mountain biking once more and to make the world title a giant objective after the Tour de France. The plan is to do just a few World Cup races too if it is doable, I positively need to do it. But that’s solely doable if it suits inside my schedule.
“It’s the final piece of the puzzle that I’m lacking. I actually need to win the mountain bike world title. And with the Worlds in Rwanda, it is supreme to focus solely on mountain biking.”
Van der Poel received his record-equalling seventh elite males’s cyclocross world title in early February after which loved a break from racing and a few enjoying golf time snowboarding. He was somewhat ailing in Spain however shrugged off any issues for his season debut and Classics objectives.
“It’s nothing to fret about. After the Cyclocross World Championships I already felt that sickness approaching,” he stated.
“I begin in Tirreno and that appears to me the very best preparation for Milan-San Remo,” Van der Poel confirmed, after initially contemplating using Paris-Nice.
“It has gone effectively prior to now, so I feel a one-week stage race is sweet to get into the very best form.”
Van der Poel received Milan-San Remo in 2023 and helped teammate Jasper Philispen win a dash victory in 2024. They will staff up once more in Italy after which at Paris-Roubaix. The Dutchman may even journey the E3 Saxo Classic earlier than focusing on repeat victories on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“We will have a look at a race like Dwars door Vlaanderen later. It can be not sure but that I’ll begin in Gent-Wevelgem. I might slightly win the Tour of Flanders a fourth time than a primary time in Wevelgem,” van der Poel stated, confirming he won’t race on in April and journey the Ardennes Classics.
Van der Poel’s main spring objectives are additionally the most important objectives for rivals Wout Van Aert and Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian even teased that he might journey Paris-Roubaix throughout a current reconnaissance journey to northern Europe.
Van der Poel might win a record-breaking fourth Tour of Flanders however he’s not within the report or his rivals.
“I’m centered on profitable the race, the report is a consequence of that. Like the Cyclocross World Championships, all the pieces that comes with it now could be a bonus. That is why I can work in the direction of it in a relaxed approach,” van der Poel defined.
“I do not know what Tadej’s plans are for Roubaix. If he has the shape he had for Flanders final 12 months, then he’ll be a troublesome opponent however I’m not dropping any sleep over it.
“You should be 110 % to beat him at Flanders. I had good legs, however he nonetheless dropped me on the Oude Kwaremont. But the extra good riders in the beginning, the higher, as a result of then the race will fall into place.”
Van der Poel had hinted he might skip the 2025 Tour de France after struggling by means of the race final 12 months and failing to win a stage. However, the Tour appears vastly vital for Alpecin-Decuninck and so van der Poel will return, once more teaming up with Philipsen, who will goal the dash levels and the primary yellow jersey in Lille, in northern France.
Three weeks of arduous racing may even present the inspiration for a later summer time of mountain biking.
“It will likely be my fifth Tour. There are alternatives for me and Jasper within the first week. Hopefully, I can win one other stage victory,” van der Poel stated.
Mathieu Van der Poel’s 2025 race schedule:
- March 10-16: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 22: Milan-San Remo
- March 28: E3 Saxo Classic
- April 6: Tour of Flanders
- April 13: Paris-Roubaix
- July 5-27: Tour de France
- September 14: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
