Van der Poel completes trifecta with Nove Mesto World Cup victory
Mathieu van der Poel completed a multi-disciplinary trifecta on Sunday, taking out the cross country World Cup in Nove Mesto to add to his cyclo-cross world title and road WorldTour victory at the Amstel Gold Race.
The 24-year-old attacked Olympic and world champion Nino Schurter on the final climb of the last lap in the elite men's cross country World Cup, dropping the Swiss rider to claim his first MTB World Cup by 19 seconds.
Van der Poel finished second to Swiss rider Mathias Flückiger in Albstadt, an accomplishment that already earned the Netherlands a spot for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in MTB, but he was elated to finally score a major victory on the mountain bike after years of effort.
"It was a battle against one of the greatest mountain bikers. So it was extra sweet to win," van der Poel said. "I had that point on the course for my attack in my mind two laps before the finish, and I just went all in.
"I'm really happy to finally get my first World Cup win. For me, it is one of my biggest achievements, one of the toughest things I can do. I've been trying for three years, so I've been dreaming of a World Cup win."
Not since compatriot Marianne Vos won world titles on the road, cyclo-cross and track has a cyclist shown such versatility, but to claim high profile wins across three disciplines in the space of less than one year is a major accomplishment.
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