Mathieu van der Poel opens door to retirement after 2028 Olympics: ‘It could be a good time to stop’

Mathieu van der Poel can already see a possible finishing line to his remarkable career.

Speaking in an extensive interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, the Alpecin-Premier Tech leader admitted that 2028 could represent a natural moment to step away from professional cycling.

His current contract expires at the end of that season. By then, Van der Poel will be 33 and will have completed what is likely to be his final attempt to win an Olympic mountain bike title.

“I think 2028 could be a good time to stop,” Van der Poel told Het Nieuwsblad. “I will be 33, which is a good age to retire.”

It is not yet a firm retirement announcement. Van der Poel stressed that his decision will depend on his physical level, his motivation and whether he is still enjoying life as a professional rider.

“Nothing has been decided yet,” he said. “If I still have the level in 2028 and I still enjoy doing it, then anything is possible.”

Van der Poel is also entering a new chapter away from cycling. On Monday, he announced that he and his partner Roxanne Bertels are expecting their first child.

The Los Angeles Olympic Games are already influencing how Van der Poel thinks about the closing years of his career.

Mountain bike gold remains one of the few major prizes missing from his collection. Van der Poel has won world titles on the road, in cyclocross and on gravel, but he is yet to claim either the mountain bike rainbow jersey or an Olympic medal.

Van der Poel believes Los Angeles will probably provide his last realistic opportunity.

“LA will, in principle, be my final chance,” he said.

That could mean making a major sacrifice in 2028. Van der Poel expects the spring Classics to remain part of his programme, but the Tour de France may not.

“The spring does not get in the way, but the Tour does,” he explained. “A summer without the Tour is certainly on the table. After the spring, I could shift my focus to mountain biking.”

Ending his career with Olympic gold would offer an almost scripted conclusion, although Van der Poel is realistic about the size of the challenge.

“That would be very beautiful,” he said with a smile. “But I also know how difficult it will be.”

Before turning his attention to Los Angeles 2028, Mathieu van der Poel still has unfinished business at the Tour de France.

His relationship with cycling’s biggest race has not always been easy. The structure of a Grand Tour does not naturally suit a rider who thrives on instinct and the freedom of one-day racing.

“I have a love-hate relationship with the Tour,” he said. “But the older I get, the more I enjoy going to the Tour.”

Van der Poel still prefers the Classics, where he can shape the race himself.

“In one-day races, I can completely be myself,” he said. “But I am now better at accepting that there are stages in a Grand Tour where I do not have a role.”

That change helped him enjoy his previous Tour, where he won in Boulogne sur Mer before pneumonia forced him to abandon.

“I felt I was not spent yet and that there was still more in me,” he said. “Because Jasper had already gone home as well, I might even have been able to challenge for the green jersey. That stayed with me for quite a long time.”

This year, however, the points classification will be a clear objective for Jasper Philipsen. Van der Poel accepts that supporting his teammate may reduce his own opportunities.

“If he stays fit, our chances of winning green are simply greater with him than with me,” he said. “We get along well, and I get a lot of satisfaction from trying to win stages with him.”

He was equally direct about their sprinting hierarchy.

“On eight out of ten finishes, Jasper is faster than I am.”

Even on stages that suit both riders, Van der Poel says the green jersey must come first.

“There are finishes that might suit me just as well, but then we have to prioritise the green jersey,” he explained. “If he were to lead me out, he would lose too many points. I know that in advance, so I have no problem with it.”

For now, retirement remains a possibility rather than a fixed plan. Van der Poel’s immediate focus is on the Tour, where he will combine his own ambitions with a key role in Philipsen’s pursuit of green. 

Beyond that, Los Angeles is beginning to emerge as the defining target of his final contracted season and perhaps the closing chapter of one of cycling’s most versatile careers.