Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix) will start the 2021 road season at the UAE Tour in February.

The Dutchman, who currently races cyclocross, admitted the news to Het Nieuwsblad after winning the cyclocross Gullegem on Saturday.

He will take to the road in the first World Tour race of the year, which runs from February 21-27.

Last year's UAE Tour was cancelled after COVID-19 struck the peloton, leaving several teams quarantined for weeks after the race and hospitalizing many riders and staff, including UAE Team Emirates' Max Richeze and Fernando Gaviria.

Barring any restrictions or closures related to COVID-19, Van der Pol will begin its road campaign there.

After the UAE Tour, the 25-year-old is set to compete in either Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, depending on the route, while 2019 winner Dwars Doerr Fullerndelen is also on the program for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix

Van der Pol's cyclocross campaign continues today with the 11th UCI World Cup round of the season in Hulst. He has won seven races, including the second World Cup round in Namur, and is currently third in the standings behind rival Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).

He plans to rest after Hulst and told Het Nieuwsblad: "I feel that my condition is deteriorating. Due to the defeat at the Dutch Championships, I had to undergo a training block. I need that." He will return to cross at the Flandrien Cross on January 23 and the World Cup finals in Ovalaisse a day later, and will finish the season at the World Championships on January 31.