Mathieu van der Poel had an impressive spring campaign this year, but he is not giving the road his undivided attention just yet as he eyes the mountain bike race at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 24-year-old phenomenon is pulled the plug on his road racing season following his stunning victory at Amstel Gold Race. After a brief recovery period, he began a full mountain bike World Cup schedule as he targets the world mountain bike championships, September 1 in Mont Saint-Anne, Canada.
However, Van der Poel has said he really wants to ride a Grand Tour, making hints that he could ride one of the three stage races soon after competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
“My Classics program will look about the same as it is now, only Paris-Roubaix is added,” Van der Poel told Het Nieuwsblad. “The combination with the Amstel Gold Race is not simple, but I want to try it.”
“I really want to ride one [Grand Tour],” Van der Poel said. “When? It might come soon after Tokyo.”
“The Tour de France remains the largest and for me the easiest I think. In the Giro and Vuelta there is even more climbing and that is the least appealing to me now.”
