“I had to think about it for a while,” Van der Poel said in the press release of his team Alpecin-Deceuninck.
“After consultation with the team, I opted for a solid program of races. A more compact program, with for example two World Cup rounds and the World Cup, was another option, but I think it makes more sense to have an extensive package of races. After that decision was made, I added the competitions I wanted to do. I’m fortunate to have the freedom to choose which competitions I like most.”