BREAKING: Mathieu van der Poel changes cyclocross plans - Dutchman starts in Herentals on the 16th of December alongside Tom Pidcock

The majority of road riders and returning to Cyclocross in this month of December but we have got an unexpected change which will be to the pleasing of many fans. Mathieu van der Poel will start his season one week earlier than expected in Herentals.

Herentals is one of the toughest courses of the season and famous as it is Wout van Aert's home race. The Belgian won't be present as he will be in a Jumbo-Visma training camp, but the Belgian race was chosen by Tom Pidcock to be his first race of the season - in a weekend that also includes the brutal Namur race.

However he will not be alone. Mathieu van der Poel was originally going to only start his season on the 22nd of December at the Exact Cross Mol, but Het Nieuwsblad reports that this is no longer the case. The organizers of the X2O Badkamers Trofee race have confirmed the Dutchman will be present, thus adding one more event to his schedule.