Mathieu van der Poel became world champion in impressive fashion last year. Can the Dutchman win the rainbow jersey for a second time in a row in Zurich?
The city circuit for the world championships in Glasgow last year was like a long cyclocross. There were no less than 42 turns over about 14 kilometres. Van der Poel felt very comfortable there and won by force majeure.
However, defending his title looks very difficult for Van der Poel. The Zurich course has an altitude of no less than 4,300 metres over a distance of 273.9 kilometres. The ascent of Witikon (1.9 km at an average of 6.1%) will be the decisive factor.
Can Van der Poel become world champion again?
In terms of altitude and distance, the course is similar to that of Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Tour of Lombardy. “It looks very heavy on paper,” says Christophe Roodehoft. The newspaper.
However, Ruudhoft believes in Van der Poel’s chances at the World Cup. “The Olympics would have been as tough as Glasgow, but that wasn’t the case in the end. So yes, you always have to go for it.”
At the World Cup, Van der Poel will have to deal with Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar. They seem to have better credentials than Van der Poel.
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