TakeWorlds3 weeks ago
Van der Poel skipped the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal to build fitness in Luxembourg instead, arriving fresh but already talking down his chances. Van Aert did the opposite: he rode all three weeks of the 2026 Vuelta a España, finishing exhausted just 10 days out, on a bet that fatigue now means peak form on race day.
Van der Poel won stage one in Luxembourg but told NOS the Montréal course is «just a little too difficult for me», pointing to how climbers like Isaac Del Toro, Paul Seixas and Brandon McNulty controlled the recent Grand Prix de Montréal. Van Aert's directeur sportif Gert Steegmans is banking on the opposite effect, arguing the Vuelta grind sets up a supercompensation spike right when Montréal needs it. Both riders are late. Only one of them sounds worried about it.
Sources
Mathieu van der Poel plays down World Championships chances: 'Just a little too difficult for me'His highest peaks can still be just as high - Wout Van Aert stands out as a new contender for Montréal World ChampionshipsMathieu van der Poel skips Canadian one-day races, returns to Tour de Luxembourg to build for UCI Road World Championships in Montréal
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