Mathieu van der Poel Will Not Race at the World Championships in Kigali

Famous Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel will not race in the 2025 UCI Road World Championships that will happen in Kigali, Rwanda from September 21 to 28, 2025. Van der Poel decided to skip the race because the road in Kigali has a lot of hills, and that type of racing does not suit him well. Instead, he will focus on mountain bike racing in Switzerland at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, where he hopes to win a title. He said “I won’t go to race in Kigali because I want to focus on mountain biking now.” With this reason, Thymen Arensman, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers, will be the main rider for the Netherlands in Kigali. He did well in the 2025 Tour de France, winning two stages, and will also race in the time trial event. Other Dutch riders going to Kigali include: Bauke Mollema, Wout Poels, Koen Bouwman, Sam Oomen, and Frank van den Broek. The coach, Koos Moerenhout, said “Even without Van der Poel, we still have strong riders. We are ready, and we believe we can surprise many people.” This race in Kigali will be the first time the World Championships are held in Africa. The course is very tough, with lots of climbing, so it will be a big challenge for the riders.