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The last part of the season will see a shift in focus for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who finished second overall in the Renewi Tour on Sunday after being unable to beat Arnaud De Lie in the final sprint.
Now, the Dutch rider will hang up his road bike and switch to fat tyres as he aims to win the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships at Crans-Montana on September 14.
"I'm positive about my form. This was exactly what I needed. The effort I had to put in in the final is very similar to that of a mountain bike race," Van der Poel said to VTM Nieuws on Sunday.
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Despite missing out on the overall win in Leuven, Van der Poel gave De Lie a strong challenge, taking a time bonus to move ahead of his young rival, but did not have the legs to beat him in the final sprint.
"I went all out for that first sprint, but I was at my limit," Van der Poel said. "On Friday in Geraardsbergen [where he won the stage over De Lie], I also noticed that I was at my limit pretty quickly."
After a round of golf on Sunday evening, Van der Poel's next sporting event comes a week from today when he will compete in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Les Gets.
"I sat on the mountain bike a few times beforehand to get used to that position. That's the biggest adjustment for me," Van der Poel said of the switch.
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"The technique will come naturally once I can ride the course every day starting Wednesday. I did the same thing in May in the run-up to Nove Mesto, but this time I hope to finish." Van der Poel raced the World Series in Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic but crashed and fractured his wrist.
Because he lacks UCI points, Van der Poel will start next weekend's race at a disadvantage.
"I'll only start from the fourth row, and in mountain biking, the start is even more important than in cyclocross. The chance of me becoming world champion is still slim after this week, but I do think I made a difference this week fitness-wise. Now for a few days of rest, and then Les Gets will be the real test."
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
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