More than five months after Mathieu van der Pol's (Alpecin-Desseuninck) victory torso, he has ruled out the possibility of defending his title in the men's road race as the UCI Road World Championships approach.

However, he is preparing for Zurich, Spain, after abstaining from the Renuit Tour and is trying to drop some weight to be at his best on the hilly course.

“I'm already working on the World Championships,” van der Pol told the press on Friday ahead of the European Championships in Limburg. It will be difficult to extend my title, but I intend to try.”

“I'm trying to go a little lighter than in the spring. That's important. The World Championships is a long race, so it's like adding a little longer training session. There is a slight chance, but it depends a lot on the course of the race. I'm not one of the top favorites on that course, but there may be room for that."

The 273.9 km course of the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships consists of seven laps of a 27 km circuit that includes 1.9 km of uphill with an average gradient of 6.2% and a short 500 m climb.

Van der Pol was realistic about his chances and said that if he did not win in Zurich, he would not be able to take the rainbow jersey. It's a very nice jersey and it stands out in the peloton. My year in the rainbow jersey has exceeded my expectations. I'm still very proud of my double victory in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. I would have signed up beforehand.”

The Dutch rider denied that he had injured his knee in the Tour of Rényiou, saying he had hit his knee on the handlebars in the individual time trial.

“I was in a lot of pain afterwards and still had quite a few problems with the bike. I didn't push too hard.” I've hurt my knee in the past. After two days of rest, I started riding again and immediately felt much better.”

He added that the time off the bike was minimal and did not affect his form. He added, “It was a shame I couldn't take part in the final stage. I was looking forward to the final stage and it was the main reason for my participation in the LeniTour. It was disappointing, but nothing more than that.”

Van der Pol, who will join his Dutch teammate at the UEC European Road Championships in Limburg on Sunday, offered to lead sprinter Olaf Kooij if his move did not work out.

“We have to take our chances in the Limburg group, but of course there are many countries with top sprinters and they want to control the race,” van der Pol said.

“After the first stage in Lenitour I did a reconnaissance. So I know what to expect. It's narrow and there are a lot of turns. I've told Koos (Koos Mollenhout, national director; editor's note: same below) that if he can hold his own in the middle of the field, he can help me lead out. Then I don't mind helping out.” [Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships, including breaking news and analysis from local journalists, including junior, under-23 and elite time trials and road races. For more information.