Mathieu van der Poel returns to road in Luxembourg

Mathieu van der Poel will return to road racing at the Tour de Luxembourg, using the event as his final preparation before the world championships in Montreal. The Alpecin-Premier Tech leader will also head the Netherlands team at the worlds, which begin in a few days.

The Dutchman finished second overall in Luxembourg two years ago and won one stage. He missed the most recent edition, but is back for the 75th running of the race after a mountain-bike block following the Tour de France. He completed that Tour in 75th place, the third finish of his career in six appearances.

Van der Poel’s priority is to rebuild his road-racing rhythm and add competitive kilometres before the world title race. A stage victory would be an additional reward and a potential confidence boost, but his main purpose is to complete his final adjustments. His previous Luxembourg appearance was followed by a strong world championships campaign in Zurich, making the race an important part of his build-up again.

The 2023 world champion will have another chance to add to his record in Montreal. Tadej Pogacar, the double defending champion, will be absent, while Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro and Remco Evenepoel are among the other leading contenders.