Alpecin-Deceuninck boss explains Mathieu van der Poel injury: "This is of course not pleasant for him, but there's nothing we can do about it"
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel's dominant winter cyclocross campaign, with
five victories from five starts, has come to an abrupt pause due to an injury
that has forced him to withdraw from the GP Sven Nys Baal.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider sustained the injury during the
race in Loenhout, where a flat tyre caused him to slide and collide with a
pole, as explained by team boss Christoph Roodhooft. "In Loenhout, Mathieu
got a flat tire at one point, after which he slid away. That caused him to hit
a pole with his chest. We saw that ourselves, but Mathieu didn’t necessarily
say anything about it afterwards,” Roodhooft told Wielerflits. “He also
suffered relatively little from it in Besançon."
However, the pain worsened after the Besançon race, leading
to Van der Poel’s withdrawal. "The day after Besançon he did have some
pain. The discomfort was really annoying. We decided this morning that he would
not start in Baal. Yesterday the pain was really annoying and annoying,"
Roodhooft added.
The team is now closely monitoring Van der Poel's recovery,
though no medical examinations are planned. "We'll see how the next few
days will go. The first new balance will be drawn up tomorrow morning. Then
we'll see. There will be no medical check-ups. He just hurt himself. This is of
course not pleasant for him, but there's nothing we can do about it,"
Roodhooft concluded.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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