Mathieu van der Poel will ride Tour of Britain 2019

Mathieu van der Poel will race the Tour of Britain in preparation for the Yorkshire World Championships later this year.

The 24-year-old Dutch star will debut at the eight-stage race after a staggering breakthrough on the road this season.

Corendon-Circus rider Van der Poel notched wins in Amstel Gold Race, Dwars door Vlaanderen and Brabantse Pijl, as well as countless cyclocross successes, making him one of the most watched riders in the world.

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The Dutch road race champion said: “I’m happy to go to the Worlds and have the occasion to get to know the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in the weeks before.

“I’m really happy that the organiser gives our team the chances to participate for the first time and at the same time helps me preparing for the Worlds in the best way possible.

“Of course, we’ll study the roadbook in order to decide in which stages we will try to go for a stage win.”

The 2019 Tour of Britain takes place between September 7 to 14, just weeks before the Yorkshire World Championships in late September.

Van der Poel, son of cyclocross star Adri and grandson of cycling great Raymond Poulidor, has continued his run of success by taking his first UCI mountain bike World Cup victory last month.

His main ambition for the coming years is mountain bike gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, but Van der Poel has opted to skip the MTB World Championships in Canada and a World Cup event in the US to race in Yorkshire.

Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett said: “We are excited that Mathieu, his team and the Dutch federation have identified the OVO Energy Tour of Britain as a key part of his road calendar in 2019 and look forward to welcoming him to the race.”

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“Like many, I was thrilled to see his performance in the Amstel Gold Race this spring, and am delighted that British fans will now get to see this amazing talent in action first hand.

“The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is held in tremendous regard by the sport’s top teams and riders and we look forward to more exciting announcements before September.”

The 2019 Tour of Britain opens with a stage in Glasgow, then heading south to Newcastle, and Warwick before finishing in Manchester.