World cyclo-cross champion Mathieu van der Poel feels that he will have to give up mountain biking if he wants to compete in future Grand Tour stages.

The 25-year-old dominated in the mud in Dubendorf, Switzerland, on Sunday to win his third elite men's cyclocross world title, 1:20 ahead of silver medalist Tom Pidcock of Great Britain.

Following this victory, van der Pol, who is also the European champion in mountain biking and won last year's Amstel Gold Race, a remarkable debut season in road classics, is trying to figure out exactly where his future lies He is.

"As long as I'm doing road cycling, I can combine it with mountain biking, but as long as I'm doing the Grand Tours, that's not possible anymore," van der Pol said.

"I think it's possible to combine classic racing with mountain biking, but not for a full road season.

"I would love to race enduro, but it's impossible to do both. I think it's one of the coolest disciplines, but I have my hands full with these disciplines at the moment."

After winning the world title in Switzerland on Sunday, van der Pol said he will now turn his attention to the road season. He plans to get plenty of rest first before beginning preparations for the Classics in early spring.

"I've been focused on preparing for the World Championships, so I'm going to get some rest before I start working on the road season again," van der Pol said.

The 25-year-old will compete in the Volta ao Algarve later this month, and his spring schedule includes the Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Volta a Catalunya, Doire de Flanderen, Tour de Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.

"I haven't set any goals yet. Of course I want to target all of them, but I will only do six or seven one-day races. I want to be in good shape for all the races," van der Pol said.

When asked if the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix were his goals, he replied: "Yes.

When spring comes to an end, Van der Pol will return to mountain biking again, this time with his sights set on a cross-country title at the Olympics.

Even if he decides to sacrifice mountain biking to focus on the road in the future, he feels that he is not the type of rider who will be aiming for the overall in the Grand Tours.

"It's on my bucket list to compete in the Grand Tours, I'd like to do it at least once, but mountain biking is a sport I love so much that it would be hard to say goodbye.

"Of course, you have to make a decision at some point. My grandfather [Raymond Pridor] was more of a Grand Tour rider than I am. I certainly haven't climbed fast enough to be in the overall classification."

"If you want to go for the Grand Tours, it's better to aim for stage wins than overall wins."

"I'm not sure if I'll ever be a Grand Tour rider.

Showing his power, Van der Pol rode away from his rivals in the thick Swiss mud on Sunday.

"It was a completely different course than last year, and I think it was harder this year," he said.

"I was good last year, but not my best self.

Thirty-nine athletes lined up for the elite men's race in stormy conditions. Overnight rain turned the mostly flat and technical course into a mud bath, made even tougher by short run-ups and flyovers.

"I was just having fun on the course," van der Pol said. This course is very hard, but if you can get away on the first lap and make a good gap right away, you get your wings as an athlete"

.

"I didn't really have a plan, but I felt pretty good and it was important to stay at the front because it was hard to read good lines.

Van der Pol built up a sizable lead by the end of the first lap and continued to increase his lead with each passing lap. Among the riders chasing were Britain's Tom Pidcock and Belgium's Toon Arts and Wout Van Aert. Van Aert had recently returned to cyclocross after taking time off to recover from a serious injury sustained in a crash at the Tour de France in July.

"I might have expected a little more from Toon Art in those conditions, but I don't really care and I'm happy to win," Van der Pol said.

"It was a very long and hard race, but it was a little easier knowing that I was fighting for the world champion's jersey.

"I think the mud was easier in the first half of the race because it was still raining, but then the rain stopped and the mud dried up, making it harder. I was happy that the course had changed so much because it was such a hard course where the strong guys were always in front.

"I was pretty relaxed before the race because I knew I was in the best shape possible.