Back with a bang! Mathieu van der Poel immediately breaks all-time record in first cyclocross race of the winter

Mathieu van der Poel’s return to cyclocross did more than mark the start of his winter campaign. It rewrote the history books in Namur, where a record crowd turned out to witness his comeback at the World Cup round on the Citadel circuit.

By the end of the day, organisers confirmed that 12,100 spectators had passed through the gates, the highest attendance ever recorded for the event and a significant jump on previous editions.

“This is partly the Mathieu effect, but Namur is growing every year,” organiser Christophe Impens explained afterwards in conversation with WielerFlits.nl. “The course is iconic, and it is also the only cross where we already have 8,000 spectators inside before midday.”

The scale of the turnout did not come as a complete surprise to organisers. Even before race day, advance ticket sales had already pointed towards a landmark figure, particularly after Van der Poel confirmed he would be on the start line for his first cyclocross race of the winter.

“That does indeed seem to be the case,” said Erwin Vervecken of organiser Golazo ahead of the race. “Since Mathieu confirmed that he would start on Sunday, advance ticket sales completely went through the roof.”

The impact was immediate and measurable. “To such an extent that by last Thursday we had already sold 2,500 more tickets than the previous year,” Vervecken added.

For context, the 2024 edition of the Namur World Cup attracted 9,644 paying spectators, despite Van der Poel’s absence from the start list that year. The jump to more than 12,000 underlines the drawing power of the reigning world champion’s return.

While Van der Poel’s presence was central to the surge in interest, organisers were keen to stress that Namur’s growth has been building steadily over recent seasons. The Citadel’s demanding layout and natural amphitheatre have made it one of the most distinctive stops on the World Cup calendar.

That long-term trend takes on added significance with Namur set to host the Cyclocross World Championships in 2030. The record attendance at this year’s World Cup is already being viewed as a strong signal of the venue’s capacity to deliver on the sport’s biggest stage.

Van der Poel’s first appearance of the winter may have been just one race, but its impact extended far beyond the results sheet. In Namur, his return alone was enough to push cyclocross attendance into entirely new territory.