Road world champion Mathieu van der Poel will head to Zurich to defend his title on September 29, but the Dutchman will not compete in the Vuelta a España in preparation.

Van der Poel won last year's world title in Glasgow in August after the excitement of the Tour de France had died down, but there is no recent Grand Tour in his legs as he heads to Switzerland in late September.

For the 2021 and 2022 world championships, he tried his hand at smaller one-day races such as Gooikse Pijl and GP de Wallonie in Belgium.

Meanwhile, his Alpecin de Ceuninck team will take on the Vuelta a España with 2023 points prize winner Kayden Groves leading a selection of eight.

The Australian sprinter won three stages last year, including the final stage in Madrid. Following four podiums at the Giro d'Italia, he will be looking for his first victory of the season. The Vuelta will likely be his last Grand Tour with the team before moving to the new Astana team next season.

Groves will be accompanied by seven riders who will support him in the leadout and give him a chance to win a stage. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]