“He is 10% better than us” - Pim Ronhaar explains why Van der Poel is a step above the rest
Cyclocross
It was an all Dutch podium in the final round of the men’s UCI World Cup in Hoogerheide, with Mathieu van der Poel bouncing back with a victory after a tumultuous race in Benidorm last time out. He was joined on the podium by Joris Nieuwenhuis and Pim Ronhaar, who also struggled in Spain last weekend, with both of them finishing outside the top-10.
In an interview with WielerFlits after the race, Nieuwenhuis said “if you don't drive well in Benidorm, you start to have doubts. I've had a busy season, but I'm glad it turned out well today”. Also speaking to WielerFlits, Ronhaar said “my entire season has been super good and when you finish sixteenth in Benidorm, it dents morale”.
The two riders will be a part of the Dutch team alongside Van der Poel at next week’s Cyclocross World Championships in Tábor, with Nieuwenhuis saying “a lot of attention is paid to him. We can go along in the shelter. It is clear what we have in him, we have little doubt who the leader and the favourite is”.
On why Van der Poel is seemingly a step above the rest of the field in cyclocross at the moment and how the team plans to support him at the World Championships, Ronhaar said “it’s very simple. He is 10% better than us. We can help each other a bit at the start, but as long as Mathieu is in shape, he has to do his own thing. We can't do much then”.
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- To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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Men Elite 🏆 in Hoogerheide: 🥇 Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 🥈 Joris Nieuwenhuis (NED) 🥉 Pim Ronhaar (NED) @SportPic_Agency #CXWorldCup
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