The year is 2006, and a young boy by the name of Mathieu van der Poel has decided, aged 11, that playing football is not for him. The boy, who has a mix of Dutch and French heritage, but was born in Belgium, is playing at age-category level for a Dutch team by the name of Willem II. Despite the club producing various stars, from Virgil van Dijk to Frenkie de Jong, van der Poel already has his heart set on another sport: cycling.
His father, Adrie, explains: “Football, tennis, athletics. He did almost everything. He was someone who likes to do a lot of sports. He said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to play football. I’m going to be a cyclist.’ I said we had to finish this season,…