Mathieu van der Poel happy with 2024 season: "World titles in the cyclocross and gravel and with victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel has been awarded the title of Dutch cyclist of the year yesterday after the end of the season, and has looked back at a year that has given much to his palmarès. Despite the star of the year being without a doubt Tadej Pogacar, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider can still be happy with what he's achieved.
“Good evening everyone, I feel honoured to win the title of Cyclist of the Year for the fourth time in my career," van der Poel said in a video shared at the show last night upon the reveal of his victory. "I understand that it was a neck-and-neck race with Harrie Lavreysen, but that it just went my way. I want to emphasize that I have great respect for Harrie. Anyone who wins gold three times at the [Olympic] Games would definitely not have been out of place here with this Trophy".
However the road and cyclocross specialist was crowned as the country's star, over track expert Lavreysen who recently also won at the Track World Championships. Van der Poel bookended the year with victories at the cyclocross and gravel World Championships, both off-road disciplines where he excels. On the road his extreme classics success was perhaps overshadowed by that of Tadej Pogacar's throughout the rest of the year... But in the spring he did ride to solo victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix - dominant victories at that, aditionally defending his title in the latter.
"Of course, I can also look back on a fantastic 2024, with world titles in the cyclocross and gravel and with victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey. Achievements that I am proud of," he admits.
"Unfortunately, I cannot be there in Utrecht, but I sincerely hope that you will have a great evening there. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in recent weeks. I am already looking forward to showing my best side again in 2025 and doing this title full justice.”
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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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The beautiful game 🤩🤩 A small throwback to this EPIC sprint for the cyclocross world title between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in Hoogerheide 2023 🌈 🏆 There is nothing quite like cyclocross is there?
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