{"id":130922,"date":"2026-09-28T11:05:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/will-we-see-mathieu-van-der-poel-again-in-2026-worlds-bronze-medallist-declares-his-road-season-is-over-with-doubts-over-cyclo-cross-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T11:05:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:05:46","slug":"will-we-see-mathieu-van-der-poel-again-in-2026-worlds-bronze-medallist-declares-his-road-season-is-over-with-doubts-over-cyclo-cross-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/will-we-see-mathieu-van-der-poel-again-in-2026-worlds-bronze-medallist-declares-his-road-season-is-over-with-doubts-over-cyclo-cross-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Will we see Mathieu van der Poel again in 2026? Worlds bronze medallist declares his road season is over, with doubts over cyclo-cross campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-23ccbf40-bb25-11f1-870e-a7bc51933cc7\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/mathieu-van-der-poel\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/mathieu-van-der-poel\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/mathieu-van-der-poel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mathieu van der Poel <\/a>has confirmed that the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uci-road-world-championships\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uci-road-world-championships\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uci-road-world-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Championships <\/a>in Canada was the final road racing event on his 2026 calendar, with only one sponsorship obligation left before he returns home to Europe and a break from competition.<\/p>\n<p>Van der Poel captured a bronze medal at the hard-fought elite men World Championships road race, where he was on the attack with nearly 90 kilometres left to go. The Van der Poel-inspired move was eventually caught, but the rider from the Netherlands then returned to the thick of the action in the sprint behind solo winner Brandon McNulty (USA).<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"ecom-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-23ccbf40-bb25-11f1-870e-a7bc51933cc7-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Van der Poel told <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Wielerflits<\/em><\/a> after the Worlds that the rainbow jersey battle was where his road program ended for 2026.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">His 2026 road season has seen multiple successes come his way throughout the year, starting with a solo breakaway to victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Other highlights included a <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/e3-saxo-classic-mathieu-van-der-poel-punishes-rivals-on-the-paterberg-but-fights-to-hold-off-fast-closing-chase-group-for-three-peat\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/e3-saxo-classic-mathieu-van-der-poel-punishes-rivals-on-the-paterberg-but-fights-to-hold-off-fast-closing-chase-group-for-three-peat\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/e3-saxo-classic-mathieu-van-der-poel-punishes-rivals-on-the-paterberg-but-fights-to-hold-off-fast-closing-chase-group-for-three-peat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dramatic win at the E3 SaxoClassic <\/a>and a stage of the Tour de France.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Despite showing excellent current form with a daylong <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-luxembourg-extraordinary-scenes-as-mathieu-van-der-poel-wins-final-stage-with-jaw-dropping-solo-from-start-to-finish\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-luxembourg-extraordinary-scenes-as-mathieu-van-der-poel-wins-final-stage-with-jaw-dropping-solo-from-start-to-finish\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-luxembourg-extraordinary-scenes-as-mathieu-van-der-poel-wins-final-stage-with-jaw-dropping-solo-from-start-to-finish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">176-kilometre solo breakaway in a stage of the Tour de Luxembourg <\/a>prior to being a key protagonist throughout the Worlds, Van der Poel has now opted to end his road season.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He also said that his participation in the upcoming cyclo-cross season, a speciality he has dominated for years, remains uncertain. One possible reason for missing out is that his partner Roxanne Bertels is due to give birth to their first child in January, just when racing in the speciality is at its height.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;This [The Worlds] was my last race. Now there is a visit to our sponsor Premier Tech, and then I\u2019m going back home,&#8221; he told <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Wielerflits<\/em><\/a> on Sunday evening in Canada.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-p5wQhLZUkWhpKyTBbXy8P8\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-p5wQhLZUkWhpKyTBbXy8P8 slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;The cyclo-cross season? I haven\u2019t thought about that yet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Becoming a father for the first time is very special. We\u2019ll see.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Last year Van der Poel&#8217;s first cyclo-cross race was in Namur on December 14, after which he took an unbroken run of 13 victories, culminating in the World Championships on home soil in Hulst on February 1 this spring.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Van der Poel had already mentioned in the past that skipping his usual program of cyclo-cross, a sport where he is currently a record-breaking eight-time reigning World Champion, was a possibility on his racing program that he&#8217;d not ruled out. The reason he gave when discussing this was he&#8217;d miss out in order to concentrate his energy more fully on the Classics season that follows.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Over the years, Van der Poel has taken a string of victories in all the Spring Monuments barring Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge &#8211; considered by some to be too hilly for his skillset, although he once took third place in La Doyenne, back in 2024.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">More importantly and regarding his main spring focus of the cobbled Classics, in the last couple of seasons Van der Poel has not been able to maintain a consistent upper hand against arch-rival Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and his last win in Flanders, for example, dates from 2024, when Poga\u010dar was not present. Skipping cyclo-cross season potentially could allow him to raise his game against the Slovenian star.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Whilst it remains to be seen what Van der Poel will do in the winter, then, one thing is already clear; rather than continue into the autumn Classics, his road season for 2026 is now at an end.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-26bc3f08-bb27-11f1-b0ca-1b8e69fe07db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of both the UCI Road and Gravel World Championships, alongside the final monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><em><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/will-we-see-mathieu-van-der-poel-again-in-2026-worlds-bronze-medallist-declares-his-road-season-is-over-with-doubts-over-cyclo-cross-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mathieu van der Poel has confirmed that the World Championships in Canada was the final road racing event on his 2026 calendar, with only one sponsorship obligation left before he returns home to Europe and a break from competition. Van der Poel captured a bronze medal at the hard-fought elite men World Championships road race, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}