Van der Poel returns after two months as Tour focus disrupts mountain bike plans

The 31-year-old Alpecin-Premier Tech rider stepped away from competition after the spring Classics and believes the extended training period has left him in the right condition for his main summer objective, the Tour de France.

Van der Poel enjoyed another productive spring, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Classic, as well as two stages at Tirreno Adriatico. 

His biggest targets brought less reward. A crash affected his challenge at Milan-Sanremo, Tadej Pogačar proved too strong at the Tour of Flanders and two punctures complicated his ride at Paris-Roubaix, where he still finished fourth after an extraordinary chase back.

Rather than extend his campaign, Van der Poel and his team chose to prioritise recovery before beginning a carefully planned Tour build up.

“I had some time off first and then started training again, initially on my own and later at a team camp,” Van der Poel said in quotes collected by In de Leiderstrui before the Tour de Suisse. “The preparation has been good and I feel where I need to be.”

The five day Swiss race will provide his first competitive test since April. Van der Poel is targeting a stage victory, although he does not expect the long absence from racing to be a major issue.

“Training gives you a good indication of your level,” he said. “You generally know what to expect when you return.”

His schedule broadly resembles the approach that preceded last year’s Tour, when he used the Critérium du Dauphiné as his final preparation and went on to win a stage in France. 

The Tour de Suisse offers fewer racing days, but its mix of explosive finishes, a time trial and a mountain stage should still provide a useful measure of his condition.

Van der Poel’s road programme has come at the expense of his mountain bike ambitions. 

He had planned to compete in two mountain bike races during his break and was even included on the official start list for the World Cup round in Nové Město. Alpecin-Premier Tech later denied that he would take part, before minor back problems ultimately ruled out his planned mountain bike appearances.

The issue was resolved quickly and did not disrupt his Tour preparation. However, it leaves him with a compressed schedule ahead of the mountain bike world championships in Val di Sole in August.

“Trying to prepare for both disciplines created a difficult combination,” he said. “We decided the priority was to make the Tour de France preparation as strong as possible.”

After the Tour, Van der Poel intends to switch his attention completely to mountain biking. He expects to have time for one or two races before the world championships.

“It is not the ideal preparation, but I still want to give it a chance,” he said.

Van der Poel has previously won the European mountain bike title, but a world championship remains one of the major prizes missing from his career. He finished 29th at last year’s event.

A return to the road is planned for September, when he is expected to compete at the world championships in Canada. That would give him two separate world title campaigns in the space of several weeks.

“A lot can happen during the summer,” Van der Poel said. “But at the moment, the plan is to race both world championships.”