Top mountain bikers on the men’s World Cup cross-country circuit could have their hopes for a 2025 World Championship title dashed if Mathieu van der Poel has his way.
The pro rider, with World Championship titles in cyclocross, road, and gravel to his name, is looking to add mountain bike World Champ to his resumé. Van der Poel recently told Sporza, “If I could choose, I would like to become world champion mountain biker this year. I haven’t succeeded yet, and it keeps playing in the back of my mind.”
Under 2025 rules, starting positions 33-40 at the XCO World Championship race are available to riders in the top 20 of the UCI road individual world ranking, and top 10 of the UCI cyclocross ranking, allowing van der Poel a chance to qualify for the race without competing in the overall XCO series. Van der Poel is a member of Belgium-based team Alpecin-Deceuninck, sponsored by Canyon.
Jenny Rissveds joins Canyon CLLCTV XC
In other team news, Swedish mountain biker and 2016 Olympic gold medal winner Jenny Rissveds is joining Canyon CLLCTV XC this year. Previously racing on Ibis bikes, Rissveds will move to the Canyon Lux World Cup CFR Team bike, the same model Mathieu van der Poel has raced in the past. Rissveds notched two podium finishes in 2024 XCO Elite races, including first place in the first race of the season.
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23 hours ago
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