News: Mathieu van der Poel To Ride Tour of Britain

One of the world’s hottest new cycling talents on the road, cyclo-cross star Mathieu van der Poel will ride the Tour of Britain for the first time in September

News: Mathieu van der Poel To Ride Tour of Britain

One of the world’s hottest new cycling talents on the road, cyclo-cross star Mathieu van der Poel will ride the Tour of Britain for the first time in September

The 24-year-old Dutchman will lead his Corendon-Circus team at the Tour of Britain (7 – 14 September) as the final part of his key preparations for success at the UCI World Road Race Championships in Yorkshire later the same month.

Van der Poel has been one of the standout names of the 2019 cycling season so far, taking five victories on the road, including the prestigious Amstel Gold Race in April, as well as becoming World, European and Dutch cyclo-cross champion. It will be the debut of both van der Poel and his Belgian Corendon Circus UCI ProContinental team in the Tour of Britain.

Commenting on the news, Mathieu van der Poel, who is also the current Dutch road race champion said: “I’m happy to go to the Worlds and to have the occasion to get to know the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in the weeks before. I’m really happy that the organiser gives our team the chance to participate for the first time and at the same time helps me preparing for the Worlds in the best possible way. Of course, we’ll study the roadbook in order to decide in which stages we will try to go for a stage win.”

Victory in the Amstel Gold Race came during a thrilling Spring Classics campaign that also saw van der Poel win the Dwars van Vlaanderen and Brabantse Pijl single day World Tour races, and finish fourth in the legendary Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel is the son of double Tour de France stage winner and 1996 World Cyclo-Cross Champion Adri, while his Grandfather is eight-time Tour de France podium finisher and cycling great Raymond Poulidor.

Mathieu will be hoping to emulate the success of his father, who won stage five of the 1991 Kellogg’s Tour – the Tour of Britain’s predecessor – in Leeds.