Mathieu van der Poel Improves Every Lap to Take Sixth Place in Les Gets World Cup

Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel took his first mountain bike outing of the season, securing a sixth-place finish at the final round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets. The race marked a return for van der Poel after an injury break and was part of his preparation for the upcoming MTB World Championships.

Starting from the back row, van der Poel fought through the pack to finish sixth. He had previously taken a break from mountain biking for almost two years before this outing. The race saw him catching up with the leading group on the fifth lap of eight and racing against Mathias Flückiger and Luca Martin.

Van der Poel's performance in Les Gets is part of his preparation for the MTB World Championships, which he aims to win. He mentioned needing specific training towards these championships after noticing a decline in his leg power towards the end of the race. Speaking post-race, van der Poel expressed satisfaction with how the day went despite not achieving victory.

Van der Poel's next goal is the MTB World Championships slated for September 14 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. He aims to complete his set of rainbow jerseys and improve on his best result at the 2018 MTB Worlds where he finished with a bronze medal.

Van der Poel took part in his first mountain bike race since May, when he crashed twice in the opening laps of the race before later abandoning. This outing marks an important step towards his goal of becoming a multiple world champion in various cycling disciplines.