Eddy Merckx says Mathieu van der Pol could be a future Tour de France winner if he focuses on the road In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab), Merckx praised the Amstel Gold Race winner last spring and and praised the cyclocross world champion for his fourth place finish at the Tour de Flanders.

Van der Pol has yet to make his Grand Tour debut, but his Alpecin Phoenix team has indicated that it may push for an invitation to the 2020 Tour de France, which has been postponed from August 29 to September 20.

"I think Van der Pol can win everything, even the Tour de France," Merckx told Het Nieuwsblad.

"He will lose to (Tadei) Pogacar and (Egan) Bernal in the high mountains, but if Geraint Thomas can win the Tour, so can Van der Pol. But he should concentrate more on road racing and less on mountain biking. Of course, he may have his own ideas."

Van der Pol won his third cyclocross world title in February, but only competed in one road race in 2020 (45th overall at Volta ao Algarve) before a coronavirus outbreak interrupted the competition in March. 25, he is targeting the spring classics this season. target and was also scheduled to compete in the mountain bike event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed to 2021.

The UCI has since developed a plan to revise the race calendar so that the competition can resume in August, but French Sports Minister Roxana Marassineanu told Eurosport last week that it "will not be the end of the world" if the Tour de France is not held this year. She also said that the first sporting event to be held after the current blockade would either be held behind closed doors or there would be strict limits on the number of spectators.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Merckx expressed her opposition to holding the Tour behind closed doors.

"A Tour de France without spectators is not a Tour de France," Merckx said. Don't get me wrong, I too want the Tour to continue. I understand its importance for the riders and the teams. But for me personally, I would rather have a Tour without than a Tour without spectators. That would be pathetic."

Merckx's countryman Remco Evenpole (Dečuninck-Quick Step) was one of the most successful riders early in the 2020 campaign, winning the overall at both the Vuelta a San Juan and the Volta ao Algarve. The 20-year-old was scheduled to make his Grand Tour debut at the 2020 Giro d'Italia. The race is now scheduled for October as part of the UCI's revised calendar.

"He still has everything to prove. Last year he won in San Sebastian at a time when others might have been a little tired," Merckx said. 'Of course, he has a lot of ability, but there is still a long way to go.'