No Worlds, yet Van der Poel triumphs with 'alternative Ryder Cup' win over swimming legend Phelps

As part of an advertising tie-in with the Ryder Cup, Van der Poel engaged in a golf showdown with 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps at the invitation of his sponsor Whoop.

The contest took place at Seawane Golf Club in New York, where Van der Poel has been on holiday after ending his season at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Crans-Montana.

Van der Poel’s predilection for golf is well known, with the Dutchman even managing to squeeze in a round on the same evening that he placed second overall at the Benelux Tour in August. 

The contest against Phelps was not a traditional round of golf, but rather a novelty competition that saw the cyclist and swimmer take turns at trying to hit the ball onto the green while bombarded with noisy distractions.

For the record, Van der Poel won the contest 4-2, thus claiming the ‘alternative’ Ryder Cup. “Possibly the best round of golf I’ve ever played,” Van der Poel wrote on Instagram.

The Dutchman would witness the real thing close up at Bethpage over the weekend as he continued his American vacation.

Van der Poel’s final act of the 2025 season was the Mountain Bike Worlds, where he placed 29th. “I need to rest. The bike’s going to be put aside for a bit,” Van der Poel said afterwards, confirming that he would not defend his title at the Gravel World Championships.

He enjoyed a remarkable campaign on the road, winning Milan-San Remo, E3 Harelbeke and Paris-Roubaix, as well as a stage of the Tour de France, where he also had two spells in the yellow jersey.

A bout of pneumonia ended his Tour prematurely, but Van der Poel returned to impress at the Benelux Tour before turning his attention to mountain biking. He will once again race on the cyclocross circuit this winter, though he indicated that he didn’t expect to pin on a number again before December.