Mathieu van der Poel confirms Tour de Luxembourg return

Mathieu van der Poel will return to the Tour de Luxembourg as his final road preparation for the world championships in Montreal. The decision gives the Dutchman a familiar route back into competition after a quieter period and a spell focused on mountain biking.

Van der Poel used the Luxembourg race in 2024 and produced one stage victory, several near-misses and second place in the general classification. He then finished third at the world championships in Zurich, behind Tadej Pogacar and Ben O’Connor. He now sees the same event as a useful final step before travelling to Canada.

The choice follows his Tour de France campaign, which included a stage win on the Champs-Elysees, and his subsequent attempt to win a mountain-bike world title. That bid ended without him making an impact in a race won by Tom Pidcock. Returning to the road, Van der Poel’s immediate priority is to regain racing rhythm and add competitive kilometres.

He remains hopeful of challenging for a stage in Luxembourg, although any victory there would be an additional reward rather than the central objective. The 2023 road world champion expects the race to strengthen his confidence before a Montreal course that may favour Remco Evenepoel or Paul Seixas more naturally.