The current world champion Mathieu van der Poel will be faced with one hell of a task to defend the rainbow stripes at the climby circuit in Zurich. And although he's trying to keep his chances alive, he'll be up against the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, who won't wait to get outsprinter by the Dutchman.
"He has visibly, and successfully, tried to lose weight," Thijs Zonneveld analyzes the Van der Poel's preparation in Algemeen Dagblad in his column. "Thin cheeks, a slender neck, legs on which you can see the muscles and veins running. I can't remember ever seeing him standing so sharply."
Although Van der Poel indicated that the road race is a bit too hard for him, Zonneveld clearly believes in his chances. "Otherwise he wouldn't starve himself to lose an extra half kilo," says Zonneveld. That is also because the course is not as hard as some may have anticipated
"It is a 26-kilometre circuit with three hills; only the first one has a few hundrers of metres with a gradient of more than 10 percent. Most of the elevation metres are in slopes of about 5 percent. That is something different from the steep hills in Liège," Zonneveld explains.
By taking a closer look at the course, the AD columnist himself has changed his mind. "I think I agree with Van der Poel: that it might be possible. If he has a really good day and if the way of racing works out in his favor. That is to say: a relatively tame race, in which it only happens in the last lap."
Zonneveld sees a pitfall for the 29-year-old Van der Poel. "That also means that he has to keep his powder dry. That he has to save and wait, that he has to ride economically. Not attacking for as long as possible, even when his legs are itching. And knowing him, that may be the biggest challenge."
It has been over five months since Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has raised his arms in victory, and as the UCI Road World Championships approach even he is playing down his chances at defending his title in the men's road race.
"I am already working on the World Championships," Van der Poel told the press on Friday ahead of racing at the European Championships in Limburg. "It will be difficult to extend my title, but we will try."
"We are trying to be a bit lighter than in the spring. That is important. Just like adding a few longer training sessions, since the World Championships will be a long race. There is a small chance, but the course of the race will determine a lot. I am not one of the top favorites on that course, but that could perhaps give me some room."
The 273.9-kilometre course for the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships includes seven closing laps of a 27km circuit that includes a 1.9-kilometre climb averaging 6.2% gradient and a shorter 500-metre climb.
Van der Poel is realistic about his chances and said he will miss having the rainbow jersey if he cannot win in Zurich. "It is a very nice jersey and it stands out in the peloton. My year in the rainbow jersey has been better than I could ever have hoped for. The double Tour of Flanders - Paris-Roubaix, that is something I am still proud of. I would have signed for it in advance."
Van der Poel put his Calpe training camp to the test at the European championships this weekend.
The Dutchman daubed his rainbow stripes all over the Belgian Limburg and didn’t seem to have lost any of his cobbles-bashing clout.
Pogačar and Evenepoel will consider themselves warned.
"I think I have gained some extra racing rhythm here," Van der Poel said after he put the hurt on everybody through the middle of Sunday’s race.
So can Van der Poel defy his naturally strapping frame to hang with Mr “all gold” Evenepoel and grand tour crusher Pogačar in the hills of Zürich?
Evenepoel and Pogačar have both tipped MVDP as a favorite, and he’s shown the form on similar terrain before.
Neither Pogačar nor Evenepoel will forget how Van der Poel hauled his robust rainbow frame through the climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège this April to win the sprint for third behind a peerless “Pogi.”
What is certain is that MVDP won’t go down without a fight in what could be a titanic three-way throwdown.
A closer look shows the Ardennes-style course on tap for Zürich isn’t far outside Van der Poel’s usual orbit.
The finishing circuit focuses on three climbs of between 1 and 2km in length. They’re just short enough for Van der Poel’s massive VO2 punch to power over.
"I haven’t explored the course yet," Van der Poel said. "It seems really difficult, but not insurmountable either. Although a lot will depend on the dynamic of the race."
Van der Poel is liberated by – for once – by not being outright favorite.
It will be his last race in rainbows, and a race that looks like Pogačar’s to lose. The Slovenian stunned everybody once more with his 25km solo victory just this weekend at GP Montréal and has been elevated to six-star uber-favorite.
Van der Poel is somehow a road worlds outsider, dark horse, and favorite, all at once.
Van der Poel would be the first to successfully defend his world title since Julian Alaphilippe in 2020-21 if he swats aside the climbers in Switzerland later this month.
Yet his rainbow season should be considered a success, repeat wins or not.
The Duchman took his striped top to the highest step of the podium at E3 Saxo Classic, Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix in one of the most sensational classics campaigns in years.
It was such a stunner it overshadows a low-key Tour de France and disappointment at the Olympic Games.
"My year in the rainbow jersey has been better than I could ever have hoped for," Van der Poel said last week.
"The double Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix is something I am still proud of," he said. "I would have signed for it in advance."
Van der Poel races the Tour of Luxemburg this week before what could be his last dance as world champion.
And if he doesn’t earn another stripey jersey in Switzerland?
He’s already seriously thinking of racing gravel worlds in October.
After that?
Cross could be coming …
Mathieu van der Poel spoke to Sporza ahead of the European Championship in Limburg where he says he will miss Wout van Aert in order to toughen up the race and that he will have no problem putting himself at the service of Olav Kooij to try to help the Netherlands win if he must.
He admits that he spent time in Spain getting in shape and that his level is very good. However, he does not know exactly what level he is at right now: "I did a lot of long training in Spain. I am happy with my level at the moment. I have prepared for this European Championships in the same way I face my other goals. It's hard to know what my chances are." Gauging by his frequent return to racing at the start of the season only at Milano-Sanremo - where he's often showed good form, we can assume the World Champion will be lively in the cobbles of this Sunday's race.
The race is not too difficult however and van der Poel admits that it would be very beneficial to have an ally such as van Aert so as to increase his chances of staying away in case he is to make differences in the hard part of the race.
So he'll try to get away in the hard part and if he can't, he'll work for team sprinter Olav Kooij at the end likely as the last leadout: "It's a pity that Wout is not here. He would have been a good ally in the middle part of the race . If I can't make the difference, I'll play the leader for Olav Kooij."
Regarding the Zurich World Championships, he makes it clear that he is not the big favorite to retain the rainbow jersey he won last year in Glasgow, although he obviously does not rule out the possibility of winning.
"I'm not the big favorite for the World Championships. The course looks very demanding, but not impossible. I've worked as hard as I can to defend the rainbow jersey. The World Championships will be my last road race of the season."
