Bart Wellens on comeback of Mathieu van der Poel in Zonhoven - "When I saw him ride away after a good minute, I thought: 'sh*t'"
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel is back in the cyclocross field and as expected, he kicked it off with two comfortable wins - in Zonhoven and Mol respectively. Whilst his impressive performances are something to behold, it can also be argued that the tension in the races has rather disappeared and not everyone is happy with the outcome.
"Mathieu has had two impressive days. Still, opinions are divided. Everyone is happy that he is back, but the way he went about it on Sunday in Zonhoven is a bit of a blow," Wellens told Het Nieuwsblad. "When I saw him ride away after a good minute, I thought: 'shit'. His supremacy is incredibly impressive, but because of that there was nothing to see at the cross itself."
Wellens of course refers to the World Champion's domination in the World Cup race, where he easily distanced the field within minutes of the start and the victory was never in doubt. This is a rather sharp contrast with the races we've seen on the men's side until this weekend. "If you immediately ride away, you can hardly let everyone return. So in that respect I understood it, but it is not good for the tension that Mathieu is there again. That is simply not fun. Certainly not for the people who pay 25 euros to not see any battle."
TV ratings have been very high this winter in most races and even attendance has. Whilst van der Poel and Wout van Aert's presence in the cyclocross events makes them more attractive in a way, it is very unlikely that the fights for victory will be as exciting as in the opening two months of the season. However this Monday van der Poel was not as untouchable, to which Wellens commented: "In Mol he waited 25 minutes and that created more tension - or at least Mathieu kept up appearances. And in the end we got to see a super nice cross."
"The big question is at what level he will ride. He tempers expectations, but Mathieu also said that he had only been on the cyclocross bike twice and he beat everyone by two minutes." It is expected that his form will rise, however last year he did not look as fresh at the World Championships as he did in other races, so he may opt with a more conservative strategy often.
Wout van Aert was absent from Mol after a sudden illness previous day, but he should be set to race at the Exact Cross Loenhout on the 27th of December where the two should finally race against each other for the first time this winter. "... On Friday in Loenhout we will see very quickly where he actually stands now," Wellens said of the Visma rider.
The manager of the Charles Liégeois Roastery CX team remains optimistic that we will still have some great battles during the ongoing Christmas block: "I hope in any case that we will see duels between Wout and Mathieu. That those two, who made each other great, duel to the finish for the victory: that would be the best gift for all the people who come to the cyclocross during the Christmas period. But honestly: if I see Mathieu riding around like that, it will be difficult".
Read also
Another day of Mathieu van der Poel making cycling look easy 🫡 pic.twitter.com/gkAzlVJMu8
— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 23, 2024
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The road from Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle is a nice steady climb of just over a mile that is cobbled in many parts. (Very slippery if wet!) If the teams are going by one by one that will give fans an even better view of the riders up close than the castle esplanade.Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment