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Mathieu van der Poel has said the 2021 season is a tricky one for him as he ranks the MTB race at the Olympic Games as his top goal.
In that context he said the Tour de France was “inconvenient”
but he was going to ride the French Grand Tour to re-pay his sponsors, saying his
schedule cannot revolve exclusively around his person wishes.
In an interview with Belgian media outlet Sporza, the
25-year-old who has already won 12 titles at cyclocross, road and MTB Worlds
and Europeans combined, said the Olympic MTB gold medal was his absolute target
for the year ahead.
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"The Tour is very inconvenient. The Tour is
secondary to the Games, but I am also not going to France to come for 10 days
and then leave," said the Alpecin–Fenix rider.
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“I think I owe the sponsors my participation in the Tour
because, without them, there is no sport. Still it’s going to be a bit of a
headache because I won’t be to do what I’d like.”
He added when the Olympics were cancelled last year in
was a major inconvenience for him as it upset well laid plans.
“Last year, I was right where I wanted to be for the
Olympics. I had raced almost all of the World Cups, and I knew where I was against
my rivals, and I felt good,” he explained.
“A year has passed and I’ve barely been on my mountain
bike. It remains a big question mark. My dream of winning the Olympic medal is
not over, but it will be more difficult.”
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