"At some point, those guys will turn their backs on our sport" - Sven Nys believes van der Poel-Van Aert factor is damaging cyclocross calendar
Cycling
The cyclocross season has begun in Belgium this past weekend with Michael Vanthourenhout winning the HG Cross Dendermonde. With the discipline kicking off its action in October, its figures return to the headlines. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert will only do so later in the winter - if at all, something which worries legend Sven Nys, who believes the calendar shouldn't be shaped the way it is.
"For the last ten years, the calendar has been adapting to the needs of a few riders who race cyclocross for an increasingly short period," Nys said in words to Sporza. "I’m talking about Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. I don't like seeing that happen".
Nys is a former World Champion on two occasions and one of the biggest winners ever in the history of the sport. He remains very active, being the father of Thibau Nys and the manager of the Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions team.
He actively trains and guides plenty riders, male or female, elite or under-23, and he does not like the changes in recent years in the calendar which pack the top events closer to each other further and further.
"I love the traditional approach that has always made cyclocross successful. We are largely moving away from that, though I have to put up with it too. If a race doesn't fit your schedule, pick another one. Before long, we'll have to hold two races in a single day just to get them to the start line".
Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel racing this past winter
In the 2023-2024 winter, the season began on the 15th of October with the Waterloo race, followed two weeks later by Maasmechelen still in October. By comparison, this year the World Cup begins month and a half later with the Ostrava World Cup on the 27th of November - whilst also ending a few days before.
The World Cup was reduced from 14 to 12 races, but they take place on virtually every weekend, with the exception of the traditional early-December weekend; and the national championships weekend. That is one example, but the top races in the sport have followed an overall tightening of schedule.
Christmas block overcrowded
Much of this is because race and cup organizers - mainly the World Cup, ran by the UCI and Flanders Classics - look to have the top riders at the start of their events. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert go well beyond cyclocross, and traditionally bring in larger audiences both on site and on TV.
But that comes with consequences, with the packed Christmas block being a prime case: "You can't race cyclocross ten days in a row. It's simply not feasible. I often get calls asking if Thibau can still race. He’s already doing seven of them during that period. They are disappointed, and I completely understand that. But that is precisely what I want to avoid through good scheduling."
Often, the full-time cyclocross riders have to undergo important decisions, letting go of certain cups at the start of halfway through the season, in order to be able to perform in their main objectives.
"For now, they (race organizers, ed.) are all holding firm and staying on board. I admire that enormously. Perhaps we should switch things up by season—doing a full block of races at the start one year, and then at the end the next."
Whilst Nys does not criticize the 'big two' directly, he believes that their influence pressures race organizers into acting against the interest of the riders and teams that spend the entire winter out on the field.
"I understand that everyone wants Van Aert and Van der Poel at the start line, but at some point, those guys will turn their backs on our sport," Nys stated. "People might lose interest then, and we’d lose organizers. That’s a shame, because I prefer a traditional calendar."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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