"We have never seen a better Mathieu van der Poel" - Alpecin-Deceuninck's Christophe Roodhoft

Mathieu van der Poel is three for three in cyclocross this season and no-one has given signs of being able to keep up with him. Alpecin-Deceuninck are happy with the return of their star to cyclocross and believe that he is at his best ever level.

“This is indeed the best Mathieu I have ever seen in the field. At this time of the season - we are still just before New Year's - we have never seen a better Mathieu van der Poel," Alpecin-Deceuninck manager Christophe Roodhoft told Het Nieuwsblad. "What he corrected today in barely twelve minutes: I thought that was very punishing. Especially on this course where it is difficult to overtake. He clearly stands out above the rest of the field.”

The Dutchman has had a race where he started off with an error which threw him to the back of the field, and then after riding through most of the riders, he attacked and with ease dropped the competition. Another victory without a match, this time around in Antwerp. “The past fourteen months have passed smoothly and peacefully. Everything went according to plan, without any illnesses or accidents whatsoever."

"He has reached an age where a lot of things are falling into place. He feels good, technically it is almost flawless, his bike is optimal, his position is ideal. It's going just fine, end of the line. And of course everything starts with his talent. Mathieu hasn't lost many races in the past ten years, has he.” However, after a brilliant season on the road, the World Champion now shows an even more impressive level in the field right from the first minutes of his return. Roodhoft believes that having moved in to live in Spain full time has definitely helped him take his performances up to another level.

“The chance that he will be distracted there is simply much smaller," he explains. "There is always something going on at home in Belgium, even if it is just a trip to the container park. He doesn't do much more than train and rest there, you can best compare it to a long training camp. And you simply use less energy to complete your training because of the better weather conditions.”

When will the Dutchman be beaten? “Today I thought for a while that the time had come. But in all honesty and modesty, it seems unlikely to me that there will be a competition this winter in which he does not participate for the victory. It is always possible not to win, not to qualify for victory. Can Wout van Aert still beat him this season? Why not? I saw a very eager Wout van Aert in the last two laps of the race. The way he rode second indicates that Wout is getting better.”