Van der Poel breaks Strava record on Col du Petit Saint-Bernard

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) is showing strong form ahead of the season restart after breaking the Strava record on the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard located in the Alps on the France-Italy border. 

The cyclo-cross world champion covered the 23km ascent in 51 minutes and 19 seconds with an average speed of 27.9 kph, according to CyclismActu. Teammates Louis Vervaeke were just behind, with Vervaeke two seconds slower and Floris de Tier at 52:41. They all beat the 56:46 mark set by Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) in 2017.

Van der Poel is currently at a team training camp in La Plagne, at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. 

Alpecin-Fenix is preparing for the restart of the season, which was supposed to be at the Sibiu Tour from July 23-26, however, the team decided to withdraw from the race due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus in Romania. 

The Dutch Foreign Ministry labelled Romania as an 'orange zone', advising "only necessary travel" to the country.

Van der Poel will now start his season at Strade Bianche on August 1 before racing Milano-Torino, Milan-San Remo, Gran Piemonte and Il Lombardia in August.