The reason Mathieu van der Poel is not racing is to train for the Pogacar clash.

Matthias van der Poel had another great year, which ended with wins in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix while wearing the rainbow flag. In the next season, he will try to do even better than those. But Tadej Pogacar’s return to the Tour of Flanders means that there will be tough competition. The Tour de France is looking forward to seeing the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider this summer, but Van der Poel isn’t too excited about the idea.

When Van der Poel and Sporza talked about it, they both agreed that 2024 was important. It might have been the best part of my career to win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix while wearing the rainbow shirt. “It’s really something special,” he said with pride. Van der Poel attacked the Koppenberg by himself in Flanders, and he almost caused a big energy crash. “This edition was really tough, especially since it rained a lot in the last hour.” I felt the same way I did at the 2019 World Championships in Harrogate. I was about to hit the wall. For me, the race couldn’t have gone on much longer.

The Dutchman, who is 29 years old, will face Pogacar this year. In 2023, Pogacar beat him on the Oude Kwaremont. “It will be tough to beat him, but I welcome the challenge.” Van der Poel agrees that changes need to be made to close the gap. “We are thinking about how to get behind Pogacar even more.” I have to do it if I want to beat him in Flanders. Maybe the answer is to train harder and more focused. So, I’ve decided not to go to the Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm. Instead, I’ll be focusing on a training camp that will help me get ready for the classics.

Says, “There’s not much in it for me” when asked about riding in the Tour.

Mathieu van der Poel will finish his spring season at the Roubaix Velodrome instead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year. After that, they’ll get ready for the summer, but it’s still not clear if that will include the Tour de France. He is honest and says, “It’s a race I don’t particularly enjoy.” His doubts about taking the course don’t go away, though. “The only things I like about the Tour are trying to win stages and wear the yellow jersey. Twenty stages where I’m not in the running half the time? No thanks. I’d rather race five events where I’m in the running for the win.

The ex-world champion is now thinking about spending the summer mountain biking instead. Before the end of his work, he still has some things he wants to do. “This year, if I had the chance, I’d like to win the mountain biking world championship.” That’s something that keeps going through my mind—I haven’t done it yet.” Becoming an Olympic MTB winner is another big goal. “That’s my last chance: Los Angeles 2028.” If all goes well, LA will be my last Olympics. It would be amazing to end my career on a mountain bike.

“I definitely won’t keep racing until I’m 40”

It’s likely that Van der Poel’s career will end when he turns 33 years old in 2028. He doesn’t want to go on a long run like Alejandro Valverde did. It’s not in my plans to race until I turn 40. I believe it’s important to end your job on a high note or when you’re happy with it. Sometimes riders keep going for too long, which takes away from the history they’ve made.

At the end, Van der Poel said something deeply moving: “It really bothers me how narrow-minded people have become, and not just in sports. It bothers me in other areas too.” It seems like so little is okay these days, and that’s hard for me to deal with. No one seems to help each other as much as they used to. That’s too bad. This year, I hope we can all try to be a little happier.