Mathieu van der Poel will not participate in the World Cycling Championships in Imola. The Dutch cycling champion confirmed this after his stage victory in the Tirreno-Adriatico The Gazzetta dello Sport. Instead, he chooses to build on the classics.
The cycling world championships for men will be held this year on 27 September. After Switzerland dropped out as an organizer due to the corona crisis, the Imola car circuit in Italy was designated as a new location. The course of this ride is 258.2 kilometers long and has almost 5000 vertical meters
Two climbs are included in the course. The first, the Mazzolano, is nearly three kilometers long and has an average gradient of 5.9 percent. The Cima Gallisterna is a bit shorter, but also a bit steeper: 2.7 kilometers at 6.4 percent.
Van der Poel feels good again, but opts for classics
Van der Poel’s decision comes as a surprise after his victory in the Tirreno-Adriatico. There, the Dutchman managed to win the sixth stage by in a difficult final kilometer in a spectacular way to deal with his fellow escapees and to stay ahead of the oncoming peloton. He said he felt good again after having had some start-up problems during the resumption of the season.
After the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Alpecin-Fenix driver will rather focus on preparing the classics. After a few days of leave, he will go on a training camp for about ten days, Christoph Roodhooft told it AD. Subsequently, the BinckBank Tour, Amstel Gold Race, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will be on his program. (Photo: Sirotti)
