Mathieu van der Poel will target mountain bike success at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel is set to target success across three cycling disciplines next year, including the men’s mountain bike event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old has divided his time over road, cyclo-cross and mountain bike events in recent years, enjoying success in all three.

Van der Poel told Dutch website Wielerflits that he plans to compete at the Cyclo-cross World Championships at the start of 2021, where he will target a fourth world title.

Riding at the Tour de France has been listed as another aim, before switching attention to mountain bike success at the rearranged Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“I am supposed to make the combination,” he told Wielerflits.

“The problem is that there is not much choice.

“And yes, I also assume that I will start in the Tour de France with the aim of reaching Paris, I do not intend to leave any earlier.

“But I realise that it is not an ideal combination.”

Van der Poel has elected out of competing in the road race at Tokyo 2020, due to the short two-day timeframe between the event at the mountain bike competition.

The Dutch star admitted his lack of mountain bike races this year, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, had caused challenges for his build-up.

Mathieu van der Poel has enjoyed success across road, cyclo-cross and mountain bike disciplines ©Getty Images
Mathieu van der Poel has enjoyed success across road, cyclo-cross and mountain bike disciplines ©Getty Images

“I'm a bit scared of it,” Van der Poel said.

“It took me a long time to get to the top of mountain biking and I mainly succeeded by riding a lot on that mountain bike and training specifically on it.

“With that entire calendar gone, I feel like I've lost a year.

“There is a preliminary schedule to ride two, three World Cups in 2021 to grab some points and limit the damage.

“But that is of course all subject to change.”

Van der Poel began racing in mountain bike events in 2017, going on to contest a full World Cup season in 2018, finishing second in the series overall and third at that year's World Championships in Lenzerheide.

He earned his third cyclo-cross world title earlier this year, having triumphed in 2015 and 2019 beforehand.

He boasts three European titles from 2017 to 2019.

Van der Poel has also enjoyed success in Classics on the road, including winning the Tour of Flanders this year following triumphs at the Amstel Gold Race and Dwars door Vlaanaderen in 2019.