Mathieu van der Poel thinks about career and taking time off cyclocross in the future: "I don't know how much longer I'll keep racing"

Taking a winter off from cyclocross, his career's longevity and achievements already taken on the road. These were some of the things Mathieu van der Poel has discussed in an interview that is soon to be released, but has been now teased by Wielerflits.

“The back will always remain a working point. On the road I have that injury well under control. In fact, I hardly had any problems there and last year I had the best road season of my career;" van der Poel said in an interview with RIDE Magazine. "Now that I'm focusing on cyclocross again for the winter months, we have to wait and see how that back will hold up. That uncertainty will always remain.”

Cyclocross was in fact a big point of discussion and van der Poel, a legend of the sport, considers experiencing something new in the future after having achieved so much. “Yes, that does cross my mind. We also talked about it within the team. I don't know how much longer I'll keep racing. An occasional winter without cyclo-cross would also be nice," he says.

Having won the elite world championships five times, alongside countless other victories at all levels, van der Poel has virtually done everything that could be done in the discipline. He remains among the very best at it however and enjoys the racing, which is why he keeps coming back every winter. "Not just to avoid taking risks with my back. I actually do racing purely for fun. And of course the world title is still an important goal. I actually see the rest of the season more as a winter activity. There is no longer much for me to gain in terms of sport.”