Cycling, Mathieu Van der Poel returns to the snow

Van der Poel returns to the snow

His last image in Val di Sole is the one, arms raised, at the finish line of the MTB World Cup in 2019. Since then, first Covid, then injuries and finally road goals have prevented Mathieu Van der Poel from making a comeback as a star in Trentino. But the wait is about to end: the Dutch phenomenon, a multiple world champion in cyclocross, has included the Val di Sole Cyclocross World Cup stage in Vermiglio as the fourth event on his winter calendar, and he will certainly try to repeat himself in the Val di Sole stage.

“As soon as I realized that I could put it on the calendar, I had no hesitation in including this World Cup in my schedule,” Mathieu Van der Poel explained. “I have nothing but good memories of Val di Sole, I won here in MTB in 2019 and made the podium the year before, and I am happy to be able to compete here in cyclocross as well. Last year I saw the event on TV, and I was thrilled with the course. It’s been a long time since I last raced on snow, but I think it’s a surface that suits my characteristics. I’m looking forward to it.”

However, Dec. 17 will certainly not be the only star of the men’s event: in the front row vying for his scepter will be another of the multidisciplinary talents who have now established themselves on the world stage. Last year, Vermilion’s first time out was for Tom Pidcock one of the very first appearances of the season in cyclocross, and he had to settle for the runner-up spot behind an irrepressible Van Aert: this time, the Briton returns wearing the rainbow jersey and all intentions of making a full haul.