Mathieu Van der Poel can look forward to a particularly successful 2024 once again thanks to the Tour of Flanders - Paris-Roubaix double in the rainbow jersey. Yet the Dutchman also had a negative period with a Tour de France below expectations. At the end of the season, however, a good third place in the World Championship dominated by Tadej Pogacar.

And it is precisely about Pogacar that Van der Poel spoke in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca.

"I hope for all of us that he doesn't improve further in 2025," he says with a bit of irony. "He's had one of the most impressive seasons in the history of cycling." Will he ride Roubaix in the future? "In the cobblestone stage of the Tour he's already shown that he's super strong."

Vdp does not yet know if he will be at the start of the next Tour de France, which will be presented on Tuesday, October 29: "It depends on how the season goes. I think it could be a good time to get back into mountain biking. This is still a big goal for me."

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