# Van der Poel's MTB transition and World Championship target > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/van-der-poels-tour-win-and-mtb-transition > Updated: 2026-09-05T09:00:00.000Z. Sources: 64. Developments: 12. Mathieu van der Poel is intensifying his transition toward mountain biking as he prepares for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy. Following a successful road season, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider used the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets, France, as a critical preparation phase, where he finished second in the Elite Men’s cross-country (XCO) race behind Adrien Boichis. As the World Championships commenced, van der Poel withdrew from the Short Track (XCC) event to focus exclusively on the XCO race. This decision was made because the Short Track outcome at this World Championship does not determine the XCO starting grid. In the XCC races, Adrien Boichis was crowned champion after a tight sprint finish, narrowly defeating British rider Charlie Aldridge, with Luca Martin taking bronze. In the Elite Women’s XCC race, Austria’s Laura Stigger secured the title following a photo finish against Great Britain’s Evie Richards, with both riders recording identical times. In the Under-23 category, siblings Monique and Nicolas Halter both won their respective Short Track world titles for Switzerland. Junior titles were also awarded to Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann and Australia’s Connor Wright. In preparation for the upcoming XCO competition, van der Poel expressed confidence in his form following a successful Tour de France, noting that his transition to mountain biking has been smoother this year due to high-altitude training in Livigno. He acknowledged the disadvantage of starting from the fifth row in the upcoming race due to a lack of UCI ranking points. Additionally, he has been utilizing wearable technology, specifically the WHOOP Meridian, to monitor his recovery, sleep, and performance. ## Claims - Van der Poel will race the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Les Gets on 21–23 August 2024. (disputed by 2 sources) - He will compete in the XCO World Championships in Val di Sole on 30 August 2024. (disputed by 2 sources) - The Les Gets World Cup event is scheduled to take place from August 20 to 23. (disputed by 2 sources) - The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will be held in Val di Sole, Italy, from August 25 to 29. (disputed by 2 sources) - Mathieu van der Poel won the final stage (stage 21) of the 2024 Tour de France in Paris. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Van der Poel aims to win Olympic gold in mountain biking at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. (corroborated by 2 sources) - 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. (single source) - Van der Poel is partnered with Richard Mille and wears the RM 67‑02 Extra Flat watch. (single 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. (single source) - Van der Poel aims to become the first rider to win rainbow jerseys in gravel, cyclo-cross, road cycling, and mountain biking. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-05: Mathieu van der Poel takes golf break in Scotland Cyclist Mathieu van der Poel is taking time to play golf in Scotland to relax following a difficult Mountain Bike World Championship in Italy, ahead of the upcoming Road World Championships in Canada. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-takes-golf-break-in-scotland ### 2026-08-28: Mathieu van der Poel prepares for MTB World Championships Mathieu van der Poel expresses confidence ahead of the MTB World Championships and continues to use WHOOP wearable technology to monitor his training and recovery. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-prepares-for-mtb-world-championships ### 2026-08-27: Val di Sole MTB World Championships: Boichis and Stigger win XCC titles At the UCI MTB World Championships in Val di Sole, Adrien Boichis and Laura Stigger won the Elite Short Track titles, while Mathieu van der Poel faces a difficult start in the upcoming XCO race. 30 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/adrien-boichis-wins-xcc-mountain-bike-world-championship ### 2026-08-26: Mathieu van der Poel withdraws from Short Track World Championships Mathieu van der Poel has withdrawn from the Mountain Bike World Championship Short Track event to focus entirely on winning the XCO title. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-withdraws-from-short-track-world-championships ### 2026-08-24: Mathieu van der Poel targets mountain bike World Championship title Mathieu van der Poel targets the mountain bike World Championship title in Val di Sole, while Isaac del Toro claims victory at the Lidl Deutschland Tour. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-targets-mountain-bike-world-championship-title ### 2026-08-23: Adrien Boichis wins XCO Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets Adrien Boichis won the men's XCO Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets, narrowly defeating Mathieu van der Poel, while Sina Frei took the women's title after a tight race. 16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-takes-second-in-les-gets-mountain-bike-world-cup ### 2026-08-20: Sina Frei and Adrien Boichis win XCC races in Les Gets Sina Frei and Adrien Boichis won the Elite XCC races at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets, while Mathieu van der Poel made a notable 10th-place comeback from the back of the grid. 23 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-prepares-for-mtb-world-cup-in-les-gets ### 2026-08-17: Mathieu van der Poel confirmed for Les Gets Mountain Bike World Cup Mathieu van der Poel will return to mountain biking at the Les Gets World Cup in France (Aug 20-23) as preparation for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-confirmed-for-les-gets-mountain-bike-world-cup ### 2026-08-15: Mathieu van der Poel shifts focus to mountain bike World Championships Mathieu van der Poel is refocusing on mountain biking to prepare for the World Championships in Val di Sole, showcasing high-level technical training ahead of the event. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-shifts-focus-to-mountain-bike-world-championships ### 2026-08-08: Mathieu van der Poel targets mountain bike and road world titles Mathieu van der Poel is preparing in Italy for the Mountain Bike World Championships before targeting the Road World Championships in Montréal. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poel-targets-mountain-bike-and-road-world-titles ### 2026-07-28: Mathieu van der Poel turns to mountain biking after Tour de France win Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour de France final stage, then announced a brief mountain‑bike campaign targeting the Les Gets World Cup and Val di Sole XCO Worlds, with an eye on 2028 Olympic gold. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mathieu-van-der-poels-tour-de-france-win-triggers-video-and-data-review ### 2026-07-28: Pogacar Falls Short as Van der Poel Wins Tour de France Final Stage Tadej Pogacar missed a win on the 2026 Tour de France final stage in Paris, with Mathieu van der Poel taking the sprint victory. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pogacar-falls-short-as-van-der-poel-wins-tour-de-france-final-stage --- Cite as: Van der Poel's MTB transition and World Championship target. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/van-der-poels-tour-win-and-mtb-transition