After the Cyclocross World Championships, seven-time world champion Mathieu van der Poel headed to the mountains for a well-deserved ski holiday. Thibau Nys is also hitting the slopes before he begins his preparation for the road season. Taking a ski holiday just before the start of the season is unusual, and some believe the two riders are taking unnecessary risks. Others, however, support their decision.
Van der Poel is known for doing things his way, and his team has likely accepted this, according to Thijs Zonneveld. “In a way, the Roodhoofts have a lot of influence on him,” Zonneveld said in his podcast In het Wiel. “We were there in Australia… and how angry Cristophe was about everything and everyone, especially about Mathieu. So they certainly have an impact on him. But when it comes to things like this, if you tell Van der Poel ‘you can’t go skiing because you might break your leg,’ he’d just say, ‘big middle finger, who do you think you are? I’ll send you a picture from the snow tomorrow.’”
While the team may prefer him not to ski, they have also accepted that Van der Poel is a risk-taker. “They’d prefer he didn’t, but if you start going down that road, they’d also prefer he not go downhill mountain biking, jumping 26 jumps, and filming it. Also, he’s really good at skiing. He’s good at everything. So annoying.”
Of course, a skiing accident could end badly, and the former rider knows this too. “But I think, especially if you look at what’s happened over the past two weeks on the roads throughout Europe, it might actually be more dangerous to train on the bike every day than to go skiing for a week,” he said. “That’s a sad conclusion.” Just last Sunday, 18-year-old Aidan Worden tragically died in a training accident.
Last year, Van der Poel also went skiing with his girlfriend, Roxanne Bertels.
Van Avermaet: ‘Self-awareness is Important’
With Van der Poel and Nys’ major goals in mind, they may need to reconsider their decision, says Greg Van Avermaet. “As a spring rider, it’s not really recommended,” the former rider told Het Nieuwsblad. “I was never forbidden from skiing because BMC was a Swiss team, and AG2R was in Chambéry, in the Alps. Many teammates grew up skiing and always went skiing on holiday.”
However, the former Paris-Roubaix winner didn’t want to take the risk himself. “Self-awareness is important. I’ve seen a video of Thibau skiing smoothly down the slope. Mathieu has plenty of technique and experience. For them, the risk is lower. But for riders who’ve never done it before, I’d say: please wait, it can go badly.”
Vanmarcke: ‘Top Riders Can Always Get Away with More’
Sep Vanmarcke shared that there was a clause in his contract forbidding skiing for a few years. “And aside from that, it’s not appreciated by many teams. But you do notice that top riders are allowed to do a bit more, and the times have changed. Now, the question is: how do we keep our riders happy so they perform better? In the past, they’d give you a dirty look if you went mountain biking or running because something might happen. Not anymore.”
Vanmarcke himself would never have gone skiing, as racing was everything to him and he wanted to avoid any risk. “But if Mathieu and Thibau want to recharge their batteries, far away from the bike, I understand. Hopefully, they’ll come back safe and sound because a lot is expected of them.”
