Stars of the World Cycling Championships: Mathieu van der Poel

The super all-rounder from the Netherlands is considered the top favourite in two disciplines with which he still has unfinished business: On the mountain bike, he crashed heavily in the hunt for Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021 - since then, he has taken a break from the international cross-country championships.

Title favourite Mathieu van der Poel

Alongside serial world champion Nino Schurter from Switzerland and Olympic champion Tom Pidcock, the 28-year-old would be one of the favourites if he were to start. He would also be competing for a starting place in the 2024 Olympic mountain bike race. Since his debut in Yorkshire in 2019, van der Poel has always been considered a title contender in the road race, but has so far come away empty-handed. Last year in Australia, he abandoned the World Championship race after just a few kilometres, exhausted and exhausted after a late-night argument in the team hotel. He has held the world title in cyclocross since the beginning of the year - he could become the first men's world champion in three disciplines in Glasgow.

Mathieu van der Poel should be on your radar here: MTB cross-country men (12 August) and road race men (6 August)