Mathieu van der Poel will line up at the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg on Wednesday, using the five-day stage race as the final part of his preparation for the UCI Road World Championships in Canada. It will be Van der Poel’s second appearance in Luxembourg. Two years ago, he left his mark on the race with a stage victory and several other strong results on his way to second place in the general classification.

More importantly, that week proved to be an ideal stepping stone towards the World Championships in Zurich, where Van der Poel went on to finish third in the road race.

“I have good memories of the Tour de Luxembourg from two years ago. I won a stage, came close a few more times and finished second overall. More importantly, I had a good World Championships in Zurich afterwards, which showed that this race was a very good final preparation.”

This year, the road to the Worlds will be the same as in 2024. After completing his mountain bike block, Van der Poel now returns to road racing in Luxembourg, looking to build race rhythm and add some valuable competitive kilometres before travelling to Canada.

“I feel it can serve the same purpose this year ahead of the Worlds in Canada. After my mountain bike block, I can definitely use some race rhythm and competitive kilometres on the road. That is the main goal for me here.”

That does not mean results are irrelevant. The varied five-day race should provide opportunities along the way, and Van der Poel will not hesitate to take his chance if one presents itself.

“Of course, if there is an opportunity to fight for a stage win, I will take it. A victory would be a nice bonus and could also give me some extra confidence before travelling to Canada.”

Van der Poel will be joined in Luxembourg by Silvan Dillier, Noah Ramsay, Senna Remijn, Oscar Riesebeek and Emiel Verstrynge.

Photo: ©Photonewsbe