Christoph Roodhooft on Quinten Hermans' cross ambitions: "Why would Hermans put his effort into the World Championship with Mathieu at the start?"

Not only Mathieu van der Poel started his cyclo-cross adventure on Saturday, teammates Quinten Hermans and Gianni Vermeersch also dug out their cross bike. But they will most likely not make it to the World Championships in Tábor.

The World Championships participation, scheduled for February 4, is still a question mark for Hermans, not for his team chief Christoph Roodhooft. "The World Championship will be particularly difficult for him," he told Sporza in Herentals. "I understand his ambitions, but a World Championship requires specific preparation. And Quinten Hermans will have to do everything he can to achieve his goals on the road, I think."

Hermans was unable to produce results this year, such as his 2nd place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège or a win in the queen stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour. A third place in the Antwerp Port Epic was his only outlier for his new team Alpecin-Deceuninck.

"My brother and I understand the personal ambitions of our riders, but you can't get everything. Every now and then we have to deliver. And we expect that from Quinten Hermans at the right time," Roodhooft is clear. "And why would Hermans put his effort into the World Championship? With Mathieu van der Poel at the start, you have to wonder, I think."