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Mathieu van der Poel didn’t get the overall win at the Renewi Tour – Arnaud De Lie pipped him to that – but MVDP did get “exactly what he needed” in his five-day blast across the Benelux.
Van der Poel told VTM Nieuws his rampage through Renewi served as the ultimate boost ahead of his wildcard charge on the cross-country MTB world title.
“I’m positive about my form. This was exactly what I needed,” he said Sunday. “The effort I had to put in in the final is very similar to that of a mountain bike race.”
It took more than the hangover of the pneumonia that forced him out of the Tour de France to slow down the Dutch Duracell Bunny.
MVDP beat back De Lie and Tim Wellens on the cobbles of Geraardsbergen for a classics-styled comeback win on Friday’s third stage.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck megastar was only seconds away from beating De Lie for the stage win and the overall on Sunday’s finale.
“I would have definitely signed up for this beforehand,” Van der Poel said Sunday. “It’s a bit of a shame that it was so close to winning the Renewi Tour as well. But I’m very happy with the effort I’ve put in these past few weeks.”
What an end, what a thriller! Winning the Renewi Tour 2025 by taking the final stage in the leader’s jersey. A dream finale with @Arnaud_De_Lie in the spotlight! #RenewiTour #GoWithGolazo pic.twitter.com/ca8ob52yTw
— Renewi Tour (@RenewiTour) August 24, 2025
Van der Poel knows that winning the Renewi Tour won’t change his palmarès.
He was so unfazed by his near miss at the WorldTour race that he was on the golf course less than four hours after the podium ceremony.
For the Dutchman, victory at the cross-country world championships next month and the chance to own a rainbow jersey for MTB, road, cyclocross, and gravel is what counts.
Next for Van der Poel: Staying upright in Les Gets
MVDP crashed twice and broke his wrist in May at Nove Mesto. (Photo: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images )
Van der Poel is all but done with his Canyon Aeroad for 2025. He already ruled out the mountainous road worlds in Kigali.
Instead, the rest of his year looks gnarly.
Van der Poel will race the Les Gets round of the UCI mountain bike World Cup on August 31 before he takes on the specialists at worlds in September.
The big elephant in the room – can MVDP keep it upright?
His somersaulting crash at the Tokyo Olympics won’t be forgotten, and his flirtation with MTB earlier this year resulted in two crashes and a fractured wrist.
“I’ve been on the mountain bike a few times to get used to that position. That’s the biggest adjustment for me,” Van der Poel said Sunday. “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 Nové Město … but this time I hope to finish.”
Van der Poel already quipped on the UCI MTB Instagram account about his struggle to keep the rubber on the singletrack.
It adds a whole new challenge to him crossing the line in front of the likes of Alan Hatherly and Victor Koretzky in Valais in the race for the rainbow bands.
“I’ll only start from the fourth row. In mountain biking, the start is even more important than in cyclocross,” he said. “The chance of me becoming world champion is still slim after this week, but I do think I made a difference fitness-wise.
“Now for a few days of rest, and then Les Gets will be the real test.”