Did UCI make mountain biking easier for van der Poel, again?

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) seems to be up to its old games. That is, changing rules in what looks like a pretty narrowly focused effort to help Mathieu van der Poel do better at his mountain bike side quest.

Now, there’s been a lot of rule changes leading into 2026. We’ll admit that, hiding amongst the helmet rules, handlebar dimensions, tire restrictions and frame/fork limits, this one slipped by unnoticed at the time. But, as World Cup mountain bike racing draws closer, it popped up again as notable.

Plus, it’s a pretty small rule change. The UCI is changing who is allowed on the start list of a short track cross country (XCC) World Cup. That is important because results of that XCC determine who gets to start in the front rows of that weekend’s XCO World Cup. And the results of those XCO World Cups are a big part of how riders can qualify for the Olympics. Which Mathieu van der Poel still, it seems, wants to do.

The rule change allows for the top ranked road and cyclocross racers to earn a spot on the XCC start list by virtue of their ranking in the other disciplines. A similar rule was introduced recently for XCO World Cups for similar reasons.

This is not necessarily bad. We like it when Mathieu van der Poel races cross country. But it is worth noting.

A very specific rule change

A few points to note here. First, this is quite a specific rule. Second, this isn’t the first time UCI’s blatantly and unapologetically meddled with rules to benefit a specific Dutch rider. Third, this rule is even more specifically tailored to the Dutch rider’s skills than other rule changes with similar intent.

Tailor made for a rider, or two

First, the rule is quite specifically for van der Poel. And, maybe, Tom Pidcock. There really aren’t many other riders in the cyclocross top 10 or road top 20 that are also racing mountain bikes.

And Pidcock has, in the past, proven quite willing to work through the field like everyone else instead of seeking rule changes. Even when that means altering his road calendar or patiently passing most of the World Cup field to find a podium or win. Pidcock’s even railed publicly against this sort of rule change. He famously called, with his usual flourish, the pre-Glasgow affair a “Rule changing shit-show.” So it’s not likely Pidcock or his Pinarello Q36.5 team talking in UCI’s ear for this one.

A history of regulatory drama

Second, this isn’t the first time the UCI’s blatantly re-written a rule to facilitate van der Poel’s mountain bike ambitions. The first would be the aforementioned “rule change shit-show” in Glasgow. That was a far more blatant effort to, uh, massage the rules to get a specific outcome.

While the world championships were already underway, UCI changed a rule that clearly moved Mathieu van der Poel further up the start grid. Riders were not happy. Not even the other two riders roped in by this rule change. Pidcock was annoyed, and said as much. Peter Sagan, the third rider the rule change applied to, looked a bit uncomfortable having his semi-retirement victory lap back on the mountain bike turned into a very real race, and quickly faded back through the pack.

So, at least Lappartient learned from Glasgow and put this amendment in quietly, well ahead of when it would be implemented. As Schurter said in Glasgow, it’s not necessarily that this is unfair. But how it was handled in Glasgow definitely was.

Mathieu van der Poel given last minute bump up XCO start grid and Nino Schurter is not happy

Rules on rules on rules

Third, Mathieu van der Poel has proven quicker to find success in short track (XCC) than Olympic cross country (XCO). If moving him (and any other theoretical top road and cyclocross racers) up the XCO start grid didn’t seem to be helping enough, now UCI’s giving MvdP (and any other theoretical top road and cyclocross racers) a place on the XCC start line.

That didn’t used to be the case. While UCI already introduced a rule making it easier for certain top-ranked road and cyclocross riders to start further forward on the XCO start grid, that only applied to XCO. So MvdP (and any other theoretical top road and cyclocross racers) used to have to race through at least part of an XCO field to earn a place in the XCC start for the next World Cup. Now, he could, theoretically, get an XCC start at his first World Cup weekend. Why is that important? Well…

Why is this important?

All of this seems rather arcane, doesn’t it? Well, XCC is pretty important in World Cup mountain biking. Not necessarily winning it. But finishing in the top 24 is crucial. The top 24 finishers in XCC make up the first three rows of the XCO World Cup start grid the same weekend.

Without this rule change, the best start position van der Poel could hope for when showing up for a World Cup XCO would be fourth row. That’s not just a disadvantage for race start position, it’s also a risk. Van der Poel does not seem as adept at moving through the field as Pidcock (in mountain biking, at least. He’s proven quite good at doing so in cyclocross), true. But a fourth row start also exposes the UCI’s poster boy to a much riskier start. Crashes off the start are quite common in World Cup mountain biking, and they usually happen mid pack. In fact, Mathieu van der Poel’s Tour de France looked to be in jeopardy after a set of crashes near the start of the Nove Mesto World Cup in 2025.

E duas vezes

Van der Poel#MTBWorldCup pic.twitter.com/QNa6S1kLbx

— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) May 25, 2025

To recap

Mathieu van der Poel is good at XCC. Being good at XCC will, even if he doesn’t win, help give van der Poel a first or second row XCO start on the same weekend. That is both safer for van der Poel than starting mid-pack and a strategic advantage. And XCO is the event that is crucial for qualifying for the next Olympics. So, while this rule change applies to XCC, it’s easy to argue that it’s designed to help certain riders… or a rider, an easier path to qualifying for the Olympics.

The less risk van der Poel has to take, the more likely he is to do more World Cup racing. Or, the fewer World Cup races he has to mix into his road calendar in order to qualify for the L.A. Games. Thus freeing UCI’s star to continue racing road without ruling out his stated personal goal of winning the Olympic XCO race.

Mathieu van der Poel’s Tour in serious doubt after MTB crashes

Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And UCI is doing it properly, i.e. months ahead of when the Olympic qualifying period starts and not, say, less than 24-hours before world championships start. If you’re a fan of MvdP and mountain biking, it’s an exciting sign that he still is seriously considering racing XCO in L.A. in 2028 and, to get there, a few more events before then.

Here are the rules

The amended rule is 4.10.003. The new sections are in bold. Read all the amended rules, if you want.

4.10.003: