The Dutchman returns to Cross-country mountain biking for the first time in almost two years with more off-road racing planned later this season. 

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has confirmed that he will be competing at next weekend’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Nové Mĕsto na Moravĕ, Czechia. 

The 30-year-old last completed a mountain bike race in 2023 at the Paris 2024 test event, while his last UCI World Cup was in Nové Mĕsto na Moravĕ in 2021. Before this, he was a regular at UCI World Cups between 2016 and 2019, winning 10 Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and three Cross-country Olympic (XCO) races. 

The Dutchman has predominantly focused on road cycling and cyclo-cross over the last four years though, winning UCI World Championships in both and claiming iconic victories in the Spring Classics and a Tour de France stage. But he signalled a return to cross-country mountain bike was on the cards in 2025, with an elusive UCI XCO Mountain Bike World Championship a target for this year as he builds towards a potential tilt at a gold medal at the LA 2028 Olympic Games. 

His team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, announced on X that he would line up at Nové Mesto before turning his attention back to the road and the Tour de France. They also teased that he would return to off-road racing after July, with a detailed program to be announced at a later date. 

Van der Poel arrives in Czechia in great form, having claimed his third consecutive Paris-Roubaix title in his most recent race. His victory concluded a strong Spring Classics campaign that included wins at E3 Saxo Classic and Milan-Sanremo and a third-place finish at the Tour of Flanders. 

The multi-discipline master will also have fond memories from Nové Mesto in 2021, having won the XCC race and finished second in the XCO. The man who stopped him doing the XCC-XCO double, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), won’t stand in his way either as he’s competing on the road at the Giro d’Italia.