Cyclist Mathieu van der Poel will be at the start of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday with ambition, but without much pressure. The 31-year-old Dutchman said this a day before his season start on the road. He makes his debut in the opening classic of the Belgian spring.
According to Van der Poel, his team has several options. “Not all the pressure is on my shoulders,” he said via his team Alpecin-Premier Tech. “I always start with ambition, but with Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves we also have guys behind us who can survive and possibly win through the sprint. That creates possibilities.”
Van der Poel, who took a week’s holiday after winning his eighth cyclo-cross world title, only made the decision to ride the Omloop on Monday.
“You obviously don’t lose your fitness in that short period, but it was still a bit disappointing, if I’m honest. Anyway, I said earlier that I wanted to wait and see how I digested my first training block. In the meantime, I think my level is good enough to start in the Omloop,” said Van der Poel.
