Mathieu van der Poel‘s winter marketing campaign has drawn to an in depth after profitable a sixth cyclocross world title in Tabor on Sunday, and now the Dutchman is popping his consideration to the 2024 street season, the place he could not begin till mid-March.
Van der Poel is taking per week’s vacation after the dominant defence of his rainbow jersey – his 161st elite ‘cross victory – and should solely be again in motion to defend his Milan-San Remo title on March 16.
The Volta ao Algarve (February 14-18) had beforehand been mooted as his place to begin for the brand new season, racing alongside the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock.
Nevertheless, that plan, main into Tirreno-Adriatico (March 4-10), Milan-San Remo after which the cobbled Classics later in April – culminating within the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – has now seemingly been put to 1 aspect.
As an alternative, as Het Nieuwsblad studies, the world champion and his Alpecin-Deceuninck staff are nonetheless deciding on the place he’ll begin his season, although Italy seems to be virtually assured to host his 2024 bow.
The Belgian squad are set to announce the precise location earlier than the tip of February, with Strade Bianche (March 2) additionally in rivalry alongside the 2 different Italian WorldTour occasions. Nevertheless, Het Nieuwsblad studies that the most certainly place to begin is at San Remo, the place he soloed to a 3rd profession Monument victory final 12 months.
The Italian race is about to be certainly one of his major targets of the spring as he seeks so as to add to his prolonged palmarès whereas sporting the rainbow stripes. The Tour of Flanders (March 31), which he gained in 2020 and 2022, and Paris-Roubaix (April 7), the place he triumphed solo final 12 months, are once more sure targets for his spring marketing campaign.
One other Monument within the type of Liège-Bastogne-Liège may additionally function on his spring schedule. He completed sixth at his solely participation again in 2020. The rest of his first half of 2024 has but to be confirmed, although.
“My ambitions within the Classics will not change,” he mentioned simply earlier than the brand new 12 months. “After that, I will see how my type is and if it is good, there’s an opportunity I may experience Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”
Van der Poel’s summer time can be up within the air, with the one actual certainty being a tilt on the street race on the Paris Olympic Video games on August 3, 13 days after the tip of the Tour de France.
Whether or not he makes a return to the Tour appears to depend upon whether or not he’ll be taking over the cross-country mountain bike occasion in Paris, too. The race will happen on July 29, solely eight days after the Tour concludes in Good.
“Both I will experience the Tour after which I will solely do the street race on the Video games,” he mentioned in early December. “Or I do not experience the Tour after which I do the street race and mountain biking. What I’m definitely not going to do is experience the Tour after which go away it earlier, like I did for Tokyo.”
Whereas the comparatively late conclusion to Van der Poel’s cyclocross season means his upcoming schedule stays undecided, the remainder of the cyclocross ‘huge three’ – Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock – have already got their spring plans set after ending their winter campaigns over two weeks in the past.
Van Aert begins his street season in Spain on the Clásica de Almería (February 11) and Clásica Jaén (February 12) subsequent week earlier than taking over the Volta ao Algarve after which heading north for a full complement of cobbled Classics beginning with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
In the meantime, Pidcock begins within the Algarve earlier than taking over Omloop, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, San Remo and Itzulia Basque Nation (April 1-6) earlier than racing the Ardennes triple later in April.
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