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Mathieu van der Poel is struggling to sq. his multi-discipline objectives for 2024.
The Dutch ace informed the Het Nieuwsblad that he’ll both experience all 21 days of the Tour de France or race for gold on the Olympic Games mountain bike race.
For “MvdP”, the 2 objectives can’t be reconciled.
“The Video games might be one of many essential objectives, though it is going to be a troublesome puzzle to resolve,” Van der Poel mentioned from his coaching camp in Benicàssim, Spain.
“Both I’ll experience the Tour de France after which I’ll solely do the street race on the Video games. Or I don’t experience the Tour after which I do the Olympic street race and mountain bike.
“What I’m actually not going to do is experience the Tour after which go away it earlier, like I did for Tokyo.”
Additionally learn: Van der Poel, the one-day racer of his generation?
For now, the one factor that’s sure is that Van der Poel will put the Olympic street race on the middle of his summer season.
The 28-year-old was the feeling of one-day racing in 2023 with victories at Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, and the street worlds, and the Paris street race presents him alternative to pad an already stellar palmarès.
“The Olympic street race falls two weeks after the Tour de France and that’s splendid,” Van der Poel mentioned. “You may evaluate that with the world championships this 12 months, the place I additionally achieved an excellent degree by using the Tour earlier.”
The Olympic schedule permits Van der Poel to experience into Good to finish the Tour with Crew Alpecin-Deuncinck and clean up for the Olympic street race 13 days later.
He could be afforded no such downtime if he wished to face off with reigning champion Tom Pidcock within the Paris cross-country occasion.
“The mountain bike is simply too early, one week after the Tour. I’ll by no means attain my greatest degree that manner,” Van der Poel mentioned.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Vuelta a España additionally within the eyeline
Van der Poel needs all of it for 2024.
He’ll begin the calendar 12 months racing towards a winter peak on the cyclocross world championships with the mission to attain a sixth world title.
A second-ever look at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and debut run by way of the Vuelta a España might characteristic earlier than Van der Poel finally ends up 2024 with a protection of his street world title in late September.
“There’s an opportunity. It’s an possibility, not a certainty,” Van der Poel mentioned of Liège. “I’m now attempting to broaden my base with quite a lot of endurance coaching in order that I can stretch my spring longer.”
Van der Poel is already out coaching below the solar of southern Spain in preparation for a season that would stretch his classics-crushing potential additional than ever earlier than.
He confirmed he’ll return to Milan-San Remo and the “heavy monuments” of Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix earlier than a possible bolt-on addition within the Ardennes.
Racing Liège-Bastogne-Liège presents Van der Poel the chance to chase a victory that would go away him titles in 4 of the 5 monuments.
“I’m life like, however I’ll attempt to be in my greatest form if I race Liège,” he mentioned. “When males like Tadej Pogačar or Remco Evenepoel begin racing on La Redoute, it’s virtually inconceivable for me to observe. The distinction in weight is simply too nice for that.”
And the Vuelta?
That may all function preparation for the street worlds, the place Van der Poel will look to repeat a for-the-ages experience this summer season in Glasgow that capped a stellar season of one-day racing.
“I notice that it [2023] was a novel 12 months that I’ll most likely not equal,” he mentioned. “I don’t suppose I can get significantly better than the shape I had on the world championships – I feel that was my restrict. I’ll attempt to attain that degree of kind within the spring and for the opposite objectives of the 12 months.”
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