After the dust settles on his record-breaking eighth cyclo-cross world title win, following a short ski holiday Mathieu van der Poel will turn his attention back to the road and challenging Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the Monuments in the spring.
His debut on the tarmac in 2026 will either come at Opening Weekend for a debut appearance in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 28, or at Tirreno-Adriatico, which kicks off on March 9 in Lido di Camaiore.
But before a decision is made, there will be time to decompress for the Dutchman. Van der Poel already celebrated his historic victory with a Bicky Burger on Sunday, and this morning, he's touched down in Livingo, Italy, for his annual pre-road recharge on the slopes.
"I'll only decide on that the week before. If I feel good enough during my preparation, I'll definitely do it," he told Wielerflits.
"The Omloop is coming up very soon, and it really depends on how I feel after the first training sessions. Last year, I felt really good and took on Le Samyn, purely because I felt ready to race in training. Otherwise, it will be Tirreno-Adriatico again."
He was due to race Omloop in 2020, but pulled out due to the 'flu, so a first shot at the long-standing Flemish Classics would provide a lot of intrigue. It would also be the earliest Van der Poel has started his road season since 2021 at the UAE Tour.
While Alpecin-Premier Tech's co-owner, Cristoph Roodhooft, has made it clear that he would like his leader on the Omloop start line in Gent in late February, after a high-pressure block where anything but an eighth rainbow jersey would've meant failure, he was also understanding of the mental balance that even the biggest stars require.
"We've already talked about the road. Last year, Mathieu was very clear that he didn't want to participate in the Opening Weekend," Roodhooft told Wieler Revue in Hulst.
"I thought that was a shame last year, because those races are important for a Belgian team. I also think they're good for him, but the first requirement is that his comeback goes smoothly.
"After that, he'll start training again, but that goes more smoothly some years than others. He's also going on a winter sports holiday this week. Making that trip will help provide the mental balance he needs."
His schedule after a debut in Belgium or Italy isn't clear yet, but Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are the three likely key races to follow – where Pogačar should also be present – before likely heading back to the Tour de France, where he won a stage and led the race twice last season.
With 'cross remaining important to the Dutchman, and his calendar getting more selective as the years go on, Roodhooft gave big credit to the balance he has in his life, with Van der Poel only continuing to improve into his 30s.
"I think he's doing many things more correctly than in the past. And he has few problems maintaining that. He's found an incredibly good balance," said his team boss.
"The sport plays a role in that. He's willing to make sacrifices, can inflict enormous pain on himself in training, and has come to embrace life for that. That balance came entirely from him, but his environment and family have naturally played a crucial role in it. He has a life that is perfectly balanced in every way."
Roodhooft was also unequivocal in his praise of the rider whose career he and his brother Philip have helped cultivate as a young Continental rider all the way through to becoming a superstar of the sport.
"In some ways, Mathieu is unparalleled on the bike. Cyclo-cross is one of those things. There's no doubt that he's the greatest."
