Mathieu van der Poel turns to mountain biking after Tour de France win
Mathieu van der Poel claimed the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France on the Champs‑Élysées, beating Tadej Pogacar in a dramatic sprint. Fellow rider Richard Carapaz hailed the performance as “incredible”. After the victory Van der Poel announced a short‑term shift to mountain biking. He will race the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Les Gets, France, on 21‑23 August and then compete in the XCO World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, on 30 August. The Dutch rider said his long‑term aim is an Olympic gold medal in mountain bike at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, a goal supported by new UCI rules that let top road and cyclocross riders start XCC events without MTB ranking points. Van der Poel also highlighted his partnership with luxury watchmaker Richard Mille, wearing the 32‑gram RM 67‑02 Extra Flat during training rides. In the Montmartre climb of the Tour’s final stage he recorded a time of 1 minute 24 seconds, averaging 35.3 km/h, underscoring his exceptional form.
Entities: Les Gets · Mathieu van der Poel · Montmartre · Richard Carapaz · Tadej Pogacar · Tour de France · Val di Sole
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UCI regulations now allow riders ranked in the top ten of cyclocross or top twenty of road to start XCC events without MTB ranking points. (Explanation of new rule in Van der Poel MTB article.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Van der Poel aims to win Olympic gold in mountain biking at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. (Stated in his MTB season plan.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Van der Poel is partnered with Richard Mille and wears the RM 67‑02 Extra Flat watch. (Watch feature article.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Van der Poel will race the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Les Gets on 21–23 August 2024. (Article about his MTB schedule.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] He will compete in the XCO World Championships in Val di Sole on 30 August 2024. (MTB schedule articles.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In the Montmartre climb of the final Tour stage, Van der Poel recorded a time of 1 minute 24 seconds, averaging 35.3 km/h. (Performance analysis of the final stage.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Mathieu van der Poel won the final stage (stage 21) of the 2024 Tour de France in Paris. (Carapaz praised the win; Pogacar stats article recorded the performance.)