Mathieu van der Poel (born 19 January 1995) is a Dutch
cyclist
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
who rides for the
UCI ProTeam UCI most commonly refers to:
* University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States
* Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling
UCI may also refer to:
* Uganda Cancer In ...
. He competes in the
cyclo-cross,
mountain bike racing
Mountain bike racing (shortened MTB or ATB racing) is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanction ...
,
gravel cycling
Gravel cycling, gravel biking or gravel grinding is a sport, or a leisure activity, in which participants ride bicycles mostly on gravel roads. Sometimes, specially designed gravel bikes are used; in other cases, any bicycle capable of cove ...
, and
road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and ...
disciplines of the sport and is best known for winning the
Cyclo-cross World Championships in
Tábor
Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
The followi ...
in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
Bogense
Bogense () is a town in central Denmark, located on Funen in Nordfyn municipality, Region of Southern Denmark. The town has a population of 4,059 (1 January 2022). With its half-timbered houses, narrow streets and large marina, it is a popular t ...
in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
Dübendorf
Dübendorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population of about 30,000 (2021). It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after Zürich, Winter ...
in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
and
Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, the
Junior Road Race World Championships in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
and twice winning the
Junior Cyclo-cross World Championships, in
Koksijde
Koksijde (; french: Coxyde ; vls, Koksyde) is a town and a municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flemish province of West Flanders.
The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the villages of O ...
in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
; the first rider to win multiple titles at that level. As well as this, Van der Poel was the winner of the 2018
Dutch National Road Race Championships
The Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.
Men
Until 1927, the race wa ...
in
Hoogerheide
Hoogerheide is a village in the municipality of Woensdrecht, North Brabant, Netherlands. The name "Hoogerheide" means "High Heath" in English. The Grand Prix Adri van der Poel cyclo-cross race is held annually in Hoogerheide.
The village was firs ...
, as well as the 2019 editions of
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI ...
, the
Brabantse Pijl
The Brabantse Pijl ( en, Brabant Arrow, french: italic=yes, Flèche Brabançonne or ''Flèche Branconne'') is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race held annually in Flemish Brabant and in Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been or ...
, and the
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics r ...
.
Born in
Kapellen, van der Poel comes from a family of professional cyclists; his brother
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
is also prominent in cyclo-cross racing, winning the 2013 National Under-23 Championships in
Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek () is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium.
The biggest tourist attraction is called Beekse Bergen, consisting of a safari park, amusement park/playground, holiday bungalow park, an ...
.
His father,
Adri
Adri is a given name and nickname which may refer to:
* Adri ( Adrienne Steckling-Coen) (1934-2006), American fashion designer
* Adrià Adri Arnaus (born 1994), Spanish golfer
* Adrián Adri Castellano (born 1994), Spanish footballer
* Adrián Ad ...
, is a former six-times Dutch National Champion and the World Cyclo-cross Champion for 1996; he was also twice a stage winner at the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
and a winner of several
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
during his career.
His maternal grandfather was French cyclist
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor (; 15 April 1936 – 13 November 2019), nicknamed "Pou-Pou" (), was a French professional racing cyclist, who rode for his entire career.
His distinguished career coincided with two other outstanding riders – Jacques Anquet ...
, winner of the
1964 Vuelta a España, who also finished the Tour de France in runner-up position three times and in third place five times.
Career
Junior career
Dominance in cyclo-cross and first road race wins
Van der Poel made his debut in cyclo-cross during the 2009–10 season, competing in the novices ranks. He won several local races, and at the National Championships in
Heerlen
Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg.
...
, Van der Poel finished in second place, fifteen seconds behind the champion Erik Kramer. During the 2010–11 season, Van der Poel won most of the races that he contested; he also combined this with racing on the road in the summer of 2011, and ultimately won the Dutch Novice Time Trial Championships in
Zwartemeer
Zwartemeer () is a village in the Netherlands and it is part of the Emmen municipality in Drenthe. It is located on the border with Germany.
History
Zwartemeer is a linear settlement along a canal which was established in 1871 as a buckwheat ...
. The following winter, Van der Poel advanced to the junior ranks, and was even more dominant than the previous season; out of all the races he contested, he failed to finish first on only four occasions. He also claimed the junior titles at National,
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
, and
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
level,
each one by a convincing margin.
During the 2012 road season, Van der Poel achieved his first general classification victory at the Ronde des Vallées; he also won the young rider classification at the same race. Van der Poel was also a member of the
Dutch World Championship squad, when he competed in the junior road race; he finished within the 56-rider main group, and finished as the best-placed Dutch rider, in ninth position. Picking up where he left off the previous winter, Van der Poel's 2012–13 cyclo-cross campaign was flawless; he contested thirty races, and won every single one of them. Having defended his European title in the United Kingdom, Van der Poel maintained his Dutch title in
Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek () is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium.
The biggest tourist attraction is called Beekse Bergen, consisting of a safari park, amusement park/playground, holiday bungalow park, an ...
on the same day that his brother David won the Under-23 Championships.
World champion in cyclo-cross and on the road
![Mathieu van der Poel Krawatencross 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Mathieu_van_der_Poel_Krawatencross_2013.jpg)
The month after winning his Dutch title, Van der Poel became the first cyclist to defend his junior world title, by winning
the race in Louisville, Kentucky, ahead of teammate
Martijn Budding
Martijn Budding (born 31 August 1995) is a Dutch cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .
Major results
;2014
: 1st Time trial, National Under–23 Road Championships
;2016
: 1st Stage 1 Ronde de l'Oise
: 1st Stage 6 Olympia's Tour
;2017
...
. In the 2013 road season, Van der Poel contested several Nations' Cup Juniors events for the Dutch national team. At the Course de la Paix, Van der Poel won the opening stage in a six-rider select group; he held the race lead into the following day, where
Mads Pedersen Mads Pedersen may refer to:
* Mads Pedersen (canoeist) (born 1996), Danish canoeist
* Mads Pedersen (cyclist) (born 1995), Danish cyclist
* Mads Pedersen (footballer, born 1993), Danish footballer
* Mads Valentin, Danish footballer
* Mads Pedersen ...
assumed the race lead for the remainder of the race in an individual time trial around
Třebenice. Van der Poel ultimately finished the race in third place, behind Pedersen and
Logan Owen. His next appearance came at the Grand Prix Général Patton, where he soloed – from remaining
– to a six-second victory on the race's second and final stage in
Wincrange
Wincrange ( lb, Wëntger, german: Wintger) is a commune and village in northern Luxembourg, in the canton of Clervaux. The commune is the largest in Luxembourg by geographic area.
Wincrange was formed on 1 January 1978 from the former communes ...
, en route to finishing second place overall, five seconds adrift of race-winner
Christoffer Lisson of Denmark.
In the process, he also won the points and mountains sub-classifications.
Van der Poel booked stage victories at the Ain'Ternational–Rhône Alpes–Valromey Tour; riding for Enerthem-BKCP, he won a five-rider sprint on the opener, and defeated France's
Élie Gesbert
Élie Gesbert (born 1 July 1995) is a French racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Gesbert competed in the Tour de France in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Career Fortuneo–Vital Concept (2016–present)
Born in Saint-Brieuc, Ges ...
in a head-to-head finish on the final stage, to take the overall race victory by almost half a minute from Gesbert. Prior to his next Nations Cup appearance, Van der Poel won the Dutch National Junior Road Race Championships in
Chaam
Chaam () is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Alphen-Chaam, about 13 km southeast of Breda.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1236 as de Cambe, and probably means beer brewer ...
. At the Trophée Centre Morbihan, Van der Poel won the race overall,
having defended the race lead from the start, after winning a head-to-head sprint against Belarus'
Aleksandr Riabushenko on the opening stage.
In the lead up to the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, Van der Poel dominated the Grand Prix Rüebliland event, as he won the opening three of the race's four stages.
He won a three-rider sprint in
Bettwil
Bettwil () is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
History
The first traces of human settlement are some scattered, Roman era artifacts. The modern municipality of Bettwil is first mentioned in 924 as ...
to win the opening stage,
before a solo victory the following day in
Leutwil
Leutwil is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
History
Leutwil is first mentioned in 1273 as ''Lutwile''. The rights to high justice in the village in the late 13th and 14th Century was held by the H ...
,
and a victory in a
individual time trial
An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
in
Hunzenschwil
Hunzenschwil is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
History
Under the Romans, the area that would become Hunzenschwil was an extensive brickyard. The modern village of Hunzenschwil was first men ...
.
Pedersen got the better of Van der Poel in a bunch sprint on the final stage, but Van der Poel had done enough to win the race overall by 46 seconds over Pedersen.
This form made Van der Poel one of the favourites for the World Championships, where he would lead the
Dutch squad. In addition to competing in the road race, Van der Poel contested the junior time trial race for the Netherlands, along with
Sam Oomen
Sam Oomen (born 15 August 1995) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .
Career
He rode at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships in the U23 category. In October 2015 it was announced that he would join from 2016 on an ...
. Van der Poel finished 50th out of the 84 riders to complete the course, over two minutes down on the eventual world champion
Igor Decraene
Igor Decraene (26 January 1996, in Waregem – 30 August 2014, in Zulte) was a Belgian cyclist. In 2013, he became the UCI world junior men's time trial champion. The event took place on 24 September in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. In 2013 and 20 ...
of Belgium. In the road race, Van der Poel attacked on the final lap, and bridged up to the race leader
Franck Bonnamour
Franck Bonnamour (born 20 June 1995) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI World Tour team AG2R Citroën Team. His father, Yves Bonnamour, was also a professional cyclist. He rode and completed his first grand tour in the 2021 Tour ...
of France; he later distanced him on the final climb of Via Salviati – around from the finish – and soloed away to win the gold medal,
ahead of Pedersen and Albania's
Nikaj Iltjan.
Senior career
![Mathieu van der Poel Albstadt 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Mathieu_van_der_Poel_Albstadt_2018.jpg)
Van der Poel moved into the under-23 category ahead of the 2013–14 cyclo-cross season. In his first race in the class, Van der Poel won the GP Mario De Clercq – in the
BPost Bank Trophy
Bpost (stylised ''bpost'') also known as the Belgian Post Group, is the Belgium, Belgian company responsible for the delivery of national and international mail. The Belgian Post Group is one of the largest civilian employers in Belgium. It pro ...
– at
Ronse
Ronse (; french: Renaix, ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper.
History
Early settlements to 14th century
The hills around Ronse show clu ...
, defeating nearest rival Gianni Vermeersch by twelve seconds. After he finished third in his first
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
race, Van der Poel won the second round of the season at
Tábor
Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
The followi ...
in the Czech Republic, beating Vermeersch once again by three seconds. In the process, Van der Poel became the first rider since
Niels Albert
Niels Albert (born 5 February 1986 in Bonheiden, near Antwerp, Belgium) is a former professional cyclo-cross racing cyclist who currently resides in Tremelo. He became World Champion twice, in 2009 and 2012.
Career
Similarly to Sven Nys, A ...
in 2004 to take an under-23 race victory as a first-year rider. He completed a clean sweep of victories in the major cyclo-cross competitions, by winning at
Ruddervoorde
Oostkamp (; vls, Ôostkamp) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Hertsberge, Oostkamp proper, Ruddervoorde and Waardamme. On January 1, 2019, Oostkamp had a total populat ...
in the
Superprestige the following day, leading home his rivals by almost a minute. He won a silver medal at the
UEC European Cyclo-cross Championships
The European Cyclo-cross Championships are the European championships in cyclo-cross. They have been held since 2003 in November, towards the start of the cyclo-cross season. The championships are organised by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme
...
in
Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants.
Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...
in the Czech Republic, finishing 23 seconds behind winner Michael Vanthourenhout.
Van der Poel turned professional with the team at the start of the 2014 season, joining brother David at the squad, having signed a four-year contract. Prior to doing so, Van der Poel made his elite debut in the
Scheldecross Antwerpen, in December 2013; Van der Poel was competing alongside professionals as there was no under-23 race. He finished second in the race, five seconds behind his future teammate
Niels Albert
Niels Albert (born 5 February 1986 in Bonheiden, near Antwerp, Belgium) is a former professional cyclo-cross racing cyclist who currently resides in Tremelo. He became World Champion twice, in 2009 and 2012.
Career
Similarly to Sven Nys, A ...
, having dropped
Philipp Walsleben
Philipp Walsleben (born November 19, 1987) is a German former racing cyclist, who rode professionally in cyclo-cross and road racing between 2006 and 2021 for the Team Notebooksbilliger.de, Heinz Von Heiden–Focus and teams. During his cyclo-cro ...
and
Rob Peeters
Rob Peeters (born 2 July 1985) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist, who primarily competed in the cyclo-cross discipline of the sport. In January 2012, he finished second at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. He also competed i ...
in the closing stages. He again finished second to Albert ten days later in the
Grand Prix De Ster Sint-Niklaas
The Grand Prix De Ster Sint-Niklaas or GP De Ster Sint-Niklaas is a cyclo-cross race held in Sint-Niklaas
Sint-Niklaas (; french: Saint-Nicolas, ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municip ...
, losing out in a two-man sprint finish. He ended 2013 with his fourth Superprestige victory of the season at
Diegem
Diegem is a town in the municipality of Machelen, Flemish Brabant, Belgium.
Its gothic church, inaugurated in 1543, in the centre of town, has a conspicuous tiered spire.
The town is served by Diegem railway station, which is situated on the ...
.
After finishing second to
Wout van Aert
Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He joined in ...
in his opening race of 2014 at the
Grand Prix Sven Nys
The Grand Prix Sven Nys or GP Sven Nys is a cyclo-cross race held in Baal, Belgium. The race is named after cyclo-cross legend Sven Nys
Sven Nys (; born 17 June 1976) is a former professional cyclist competing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike ...
, Van der Poel secured the overall under-23 World Cup title with his fourth win of the season, at the
Memorial Romano Scotti in Rome. He achieved his first professional victory at the Boels Classic Internationale Cyclo-cross in
Heerlen
Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg.
...
, beating closest rivals Thijs van Amerongen and
Rob Peeters
Rob Peeters (born 2 July 1985) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist, who primarily competed in the cyclo-cross discipline of the sport. In January 2012, he finished second at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. He also competed i ...
. In his first senior road race, Van der Poel finished seventh in the
Omloop der Kempen
Omloop der Kempen is an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in Veldhoven, Netherlands. Since 1995, the men's event is UCI 1.2 rated and is part of the UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a s ...
, which had finished in a sprint to the line in
Veldhoven
Veldhoven () is a municipality and town on the Gender in the southern Netherlands, just southwest of Eindhoven.
Topography
Dutch topographic map of Veldhoven (town), Dec. 2013
Population centres
The modern town of Veldhoven is an agglomerat ...
. Just a few weeks later he secured his first professional victory on the road, winning the
Ronde van Limburg.
More recently he has begun to compete in the
cross-country cycling
Cross-country (XC) cycling is a discipline of mountain biking. Cross-country cycling became an Olympic sport in 1996 and is the only form of mountain biking practiced at the Olympics.
Terrain
Cross-country cycling is defined by the terrain on w ...
discipline of the sport setting his sights on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In 2017 he placed 2nd in the World Cup at
Albstadt
Albstadt () is the largest city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Jura mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance.
Geography
Albstadt is spread across a variety of ...
behind world champion
Nino Schurter
Nino Schurter (born 13 May 1986) is a Swiss cross-country cyclist who races for the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team.
Schurter won the world championship in men's cross-country in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 and the ...
. In 2018 he raced a full World Cup season finishing 2nd in the series overall and 3rd at the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
Lenzerheide
Lenzerheide ( Romansh: ''Lai'') is a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland at the foot of the Parpaner Rothorn. The village lies in the municipality Vaz/Obervaz in the district of Albula, sub-district Alvaschein.
The vil ...
, as well as winning the Dutch National Championship. At the
2018 European Cycling Championships in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Van der Poel competed in the cross-country mountain bike and the road race, winning a silver medal in the latter.
2021
![FrancePaysDeLaLoireStGermainLeFouillouxTourDeFrance5eEtapeMVanDerPoel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/FrancePaysDeLaLoireStGermainLeFouillouxTourDeFrance5eEtapeMVanDerPoel.jpg)
In 2021, Van der Poel competed in his first grand tour, the
2021 Tour de France
The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three grand tours. Originally planned for the Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was transferred to Brest because of the ...
. Here he succeeded in winning the second stage and acquired the yellow jersey, which he would wear for six days. He also secured the King of the Mountain jersey on that stage, which he held for a single day.
Van der Poel participated in the Mountain Biking event at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in Tokyo. The event featured seven laps, but he crashed on a descent in the first lap, as he forgot that a ramp had been removed. He managed to continue racing, but eventually pulled out after the sixth lap, unable to make up lost time.
Due to persistent back problems, worsened by his Olympic crash, Van der Poel did not defend his title at the
2021 Tour of Britain. He did go on to win the 2021 edition of the
Antwerp Port Epic
Antwerp Port Epic is a cycling race held annually in Belgium. It was created in 2018 and is part of UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycli ...
, which he used as a trial run for the UCI World Championships.
He came eighth at the
2021 UCI Road World Championships and finished his road season in the
2021 Paris–Roubaix where he took the final podium place covered head to toe in mud. He put an initial hold on his cyclocross season due to his continued back pain, and eventually raced twice before pulling out altogether. At his first race, the Dendermonde World Cup, he finished second behind
Wout van Aert
Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He joined in ...
. In his second and final race of the season, he crashed early on and pulled out after seven laps.
In September 2021, he has renewed his contract with Alpecin–Fenix until 2025.
2022
After three months of rest due to his back pain, Van der Poel began his 2022 season at
Milan–San Remo
Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...
, where he finished in third. He followed this up with racing in
Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali ( en, International Week of Coppi and Bartali), also known as Coppi e Bartali, is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically in late March over five days in the Emilia-Romagna region of Ital ...
, a five day stage race, where he took home a win on the fourth stage. He won his next two races the
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI ...
and
Ronde van Vlaanderen, both of which he had previously won.
After a fourth in
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics r ...
and a ninth in
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...
, Van der Poel made his first appearance at the
Giro d'Italia, the second Grand Tour participation of his career. He won the opening stage and wore the pink leader's jersey for three stages. He also won the overall Combativity Award. He also made some headlines for his food choices during the race, including a pineapple pizza and
spaghetti
Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.[spaghetti](_blank)
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridg ...
with
ketchup
Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among other ...
.
Personal life
In September 2022, van der Poel was convicted of
common assault
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
against two girls aged 13 and 14, after an incident in a hotel in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
; the conviction was overturned following appeal in December of the same year.
Major results
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poel, Mathieu Van Der
1995 births
Cross-country mountain bikers
Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Cyclo-cross cyclists
Dutch Giro d'Italia stage winners
Dutch Tour de France stage winners
Dutch male cyclists
Dutch people of French descent
Living people
Olympic cyclists of the Netherlands
People from Kapellen, Belgium
UCI Cyclo-cross World Champions (men)
UCI Road World Championships cyclists for the Netherlands
Tour de Suisse stage winners
Cyclists from Antwerp Province
Overturned convictions in Australia
People acquitted of assault