Monster Luxembourg solo changes nothing for Van der Poel ahead of Worlds: ‘Others have a better chance’

Two days after spending almost the entire final stage of the Tour de Luxembourg alone at the front, Van der Poel was back on the move on Tuesday morning.

This time, the destination was Montréal.

Speaking to VTM at Brussels Airport before flying to Canada, Van der Poel insisted that his extraordinary Luxembourg performance had not suddenly turned him into the man to beat at the World Championships.

“I still stand by what I said,” Van der Poel told VTM. “Luxembourg hasn’t changed anything. The course is simply on the difficult side for riders of my weight. I think everyone agrees on that.”

Sunday’s extraordinary solo in Luxembourg may have strengthened his credentials, but it has not changed Van der Poel’s view of the course awaiting him in Montréal.

Form, he believes, is not the issue. The terrain is.

“I don’t think I’m really the top favourite,” he said. “Probably more one of the outsiders. If I am the top favourite, I will never hide from that. But I simply think there are riders who have a better chance than me on this course.”

Van der Poel had reached much the same conclusion before the Tour de Luxembourg. After seeing the type of riders who came to the fore at the recent Grand Prix de Montréal, held partly on roads that will also feature at the World Championships, he felt the climbing would tilt the balance towards lighter riders.

He has adapted his preparation accordingly. Van der Poel arrived in Luxembourg around two kilograms lighter than during the spring and used the five day race as his final block of high intensity work before travelling to Canada.

What keeps him interested is the nature of a World Championship itself.

“Nothing is impossible,” he said. “A World Championship is always a special race. There are no radios, it is an open race and often the racing starts from far out. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never been there before either, so that will be nice.”

His relatively late journey to Canada was also part of the plan. Rather than travelling across the Atlantic earlier, Van der Poel wanted to complete his final training sessions at home and then race in Luxembourg.

“I think, like I said before, I still needed those training sessions before Luxembourg and Luxembourg itself,” he said. “Then there simply isn’t much room to travel earlier.”

Van der Poel flew out from Brussels Airport on Tuesday morning and was not travelling alone. His pregnant partner Roxanne Bertels joined him for the trip to Montréal.

“It is always nicer to be able to travel together and to have that support with you,” Van der Poel said.

After Luxembourg, there can be little doubt about the condition he is taking to Canada. Whether the Montréal course allows him to make full use of it is the question he will have to answer on Sunday.