Dutch cycling federation already eyeing road and MTB combination for Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse at LA 2028 Olympic Games

After the competition schedule for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28) was announced on Wednesday, the Netherlands’ cycling federation (KNWU) was already eyeing how road cycling and mountain biking could be combined for some of its big stars, Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse.

As was the case with Paris 2024, the men’s cross-country MTB race will arrive five days before the road race on Sunday, July 23. Van der Poel skipped the XCO race last year, but has shown a desire to right the wrongs of his infamous crash from the Tokyo Games in 2021.

He’s raced more of the off-road this season, two World Cup rounds and the World Championships XCO race in Switzerland, with a top result of sixth, and signalled how MTB could be his focus come LA28. At Worlds, he finished 29th.

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Van der Poel called it “the most logical choice” when mountain biking was removed from his 2024 schedule to allow him to focus on the Tour de France and the Olympic road race, but didn’t rule it out for next time.

“The combination with MTB was too difficult,” said the Dutchman last year, “but who knows, maybe in LA28 I can focus on mountain biking.”

Speaking to NOS.nl after the Olympic schedule was released, the KNWU’s Technical Director, Wilbert Broekhuizen, was excited at the prospect of Van der Poel and Pieterse riding both, though the latter will only have three days to prepare between the events.

“There are five days between the mountain biking and the road races,” said Broekhuizen to the Dutch broadcaster. “So a combination is possible for Puck and Mathieu, that’s how we’re looking at it. And for Lorena [Wiebes], a combination of the road race and the track is possible.”

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When it comes to the road race in and around Venice in Los Angeles, where the course will start at the Venice Beach Boardwalk, Broekhuizen had no preferences for the very versatile women’s team. However, he hoped for a men’s route that wasn’t overly hilly, which would allow the likes of Van der Poel and sprinter Olav Kooij to compete.

“If there’s a lot of elevation gain, there are a few clear favorites, of which Tadej Pogačar is one at the moment,” said Broekhuizen, with Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel set to arrive as the defending champion.

“I think we would benefit from a course where we can make a difference, a classic course, but with a fast finish. That would be great for Olav Kooij and also Mathieu. I don’t see any mountains near Venice Beach.

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“But for the women’s race,” which the USA’s Kristen Faulkner won in Paris, “we can handle any course.”

Broekhuizen’s early look into the 2028 Olympic Games came as a part of a trip with the Dutch Olympic Federation (NOC*NSF), who took more than 30 members of staff and coaches to the US west coast in pursuit of being “the best-prepared country in the world”.

It was unclear yet how the Olympic cycling events will fit in around the Tour de France, which traditionally takes place in July, but it’s likely that the Grand Départ – which is expected to be in Luxembourg – will be moved earlier into June and finish on July 16, allowing a week’s gap to the men’s road race.

With the LA28 mountain bike events coming on July 17 and 18 and the road time trial set to take place on July 19, it will be nigh-on impossible to complete the entirety of the Tour and arrive in time and in the right condition to challenge for medals in these earlier events.