TakeWorldslast week
Van der Poel finished 30th at the 2026 Worlds, a week after taking 2nd at Les Gets. That's not bad luck—it's the second straight year his form has cratered on the exact same seven-day turnaround.
In 2025 he was 6th at Les Gets, then 29th at Worlds the following week. In 2026 he was 2nd, then 30th. Same course type, same week-before spike, same collapse—Van der Poel himself flagged the pattern before it even happened, saying at Les Gets "last year I also had a good race here and then the following week I was not very good." He can find one week of mountain bike form. He cannot yet make it last two.
Sources
MTB World Championships: Tom Pidcock Powers to Incredible Victory, Van der Poel Out of the PictureVan der Poel warns of major World Championship obstacle despite strong MTB returnIt's the same story as last year... I don't have an explanation - Mathieu van der Poel baffled as another MTB Worlds disappointment dashes Rainbow Jersey dream