Is it possible to combine road cycling and cyclocross? "Both disciplines make each other stronger" Mathieu van der Poel believes
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel is the reigning cyclocross and road race World champion and a superstar of the sport. Not only does he believe that it is possible to combine the two disciplines, but he argues that doing so makes him evolve in both simultaneously.
"So far I have already won more than I dreamed of and I am trying to add some more big victories, such as a few Monuments. The Olympic Games are also an extra goal this season, even though my 'targets' remain the same this season," van der Poel said in an interview with My World of Cycling. "The [Olympic] Games only take place once every four years and the course should also suit me."
The Mountain Bike Olympic Games are definitely one race that has so far eluded the Dutchman, which he will try to succeed in this summer. Arguably, the road race course in Paris suits him very well, but he will likely race both in an attempt to seek a gold medal. A hard task, also one that will be hard in the MTB discipline where he does not spend anywhere near the time on the mountain bike in comparison to other rivals he'll face.
"At first, [cyclocross] world titles in the field were my main goal, but then I shifted my focus to the classics, which also brought a rainbow jersey on the road into view." Van der Poel did go on to conquer this jersey in Glasgow last year in a tremendously popular victory. "That jersey is simply one of the greatest things you can achieve in cycling and I hope to add a few more to my list of achievements."
Now just over a month ago, he went on to net his sixth rainbow jersey in Cyclocross. "The Cyclocross World Championships and the Road World Championships can be combined together, because they are far apart. Moreover, both disciplines make each other stronger," he says. "During the road season you simply get stronger in preparation for the cyclocross season and during the cyclocross season you work on your technique and your acceleration, which you need in the last hour of a classic."
"The mountain bike World Championships are in the middle of my busy summer program on the road. I also need more time to adapt and reach my top level on the mountain bike, because you are on a different bike and that is a big change," he says of the third discipline where he's had success in the past, but not as much as in the other two. "Last season I certainly tried, but a week after my world title I had a stupid crash at the MTB World Championships. So you see that not everything always goes the way you want."
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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- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
- I think Tadej will be working on his new C7 TT position for the Tour de France :-)frieders304-11-2026
- Every great cyclist has at least two Giro/Tour doubles, and in modern cycling or what we call modern cycling, Miguel Indurain is the only guy to do it twice. I think Tadej should go for it and commit if he is putting up good numbers somewhere around January/February.awp04-11-2026
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