In early August, Van der Poel dominated the mass start race at the World Championships in Glasgow. Then he appeared in a few more races and most recently won the one-off SUPER 8 Classic event in Belgium in mid-September. He will not add any more to this year’s six triumphs, he canceled the planned starts in Thursday’s Circuit Franco-Belge race and in the Paris-Tours classic on October 8.
“I won’t get into ideal shape anymore. Paris-Tours is one of the nicest races in the season, that’s why I wanted to go, but without form… I don’t know. It doesn’t make much sense to circle around like that,” Van der Poel told Het Nieuwsblad before making his final decision. “It’s probably better to get ready for the cyclocross season. A longer time without racing will benefit me,” said the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider.