Mathieu van der Poel trying to shed weight for ‘small chance’ in defending world championship title

It has been over five months since Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has raised his arms in victory, and as the UCI Road World Championships approach even he is playing down his chances at defending his title in the men’s road race. 

However, he’s been preparing for Zurich in Spain after dropping out of the Renewi Tour, and trying to shed some kilograms to be at his best on the hilly course.