Van der Poel 'commits' to Ironman triathlon challenge following social media bet

Interestingly, the multi-discipline cycling star’s triathlon ambitions emerged after Ovett posted a reel of the pair training in Spain with the caption: “MVDP confirms he will compete in an Ironman triathlon if this reel reaches 100,000 likes." At the time of writing, the video has gained more than 34,000 likes on Instagram.

Van der Poel responded to the challenge with hesitation, writing: “I still have to fit in Average Rob’s Ironman,” referring to a previous commitment to Belgian YouTuber Robert Van Impe. Ovett jokingly replied: “Okay, let’s schedule two then. I’ll get a commission from the Ironman organisation anyway.”

This isn’t the first time the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has shown interest in triathlon competition. According to Van Impe, known online as Average Rob, the cycling star nearly entered a Half Ironman event in Portugal previously.

“Mathieu almost competed in a Half Ironman in Portugal,” Van Impe revealed on Play Sports’ LAMBERT & ALBERT podcast. “He was really looking into it, but for a professional cyclist, it’s not something you can just fit in.”

The YouTuber added that Van der Poel had made a commitment to eventually tackle the full Ironman distance: “He did promise to do a full Ironman with us someday, but I think that’s something for four, five, six, or ten years from now. For after his career. Or when he’s in a more relaxed phase and wants to use it as training.”

Despite being known primarily for his exploits on two wheels, Van der Poel apparently possesses strong swimming abilities that could serve him well in triathlon.

“Apparently, he’s a much better swimmer than people think,” said Van Impe. “He’s a guy who can do everything well. A phenomenon.”

A full Ironman triathlon consists of a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride, and a marathon (42.2 km) run, making it one of the most challenging endurance events in sport. The Half Ironman (70.3) features exactly half the distance in each discipline.

While fans might be excited at the prospect of seeing the road world champion tackle a new endurance challenge, it appears likely that any serious Ironman attempt would come during a quieter period of his cycling career or after his retirement from professional cycling. In recent news, former cyclist Greg Van Avermaet won a 70.3 Ironman in his age category.