“He stayed with me for a long time... very impressive" - Mathieu van der Poel full of praise for Emiel Verstrynge following GP Sven Nys battle
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel framed his sixth consecutive victory at the GP Sven Nys Baal as a test of patience rather than dominance, reserving particular praise for Emiel Verstrynge after their prolonged duel on the Balenberg.
“He had a good day,” Van der Poel said afterwards in post-race quotes collected by Sporza. “He stayed with me for a long time, and that was impressive. There wasn’t much said between us, and that wasn’t necessary either. I know him reasonably well. He’s a nice guy with a lot of talent, and that showed today.”
For much of the race, Verstrynge proved an unusually resilient presence, repeatedly responding to accelerations and matching Van der Poel on terrain where few others have managed to do so this season.
The decisive move only came late, when Van der Poel finally raised the tempo beyond reach, powering clear to the expected victory many had predicted at the start of the day.
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A brief scare and an eye on Mol
Van der Poel also reflected calmly on his earlier fall, which briefly brought him down on an uphill section without altering the outcome. “I drifted a bit off the line, couldn’t get back into it, and ended up on the ground,” he explained, without embellishment.
With little time to recover, attention now turns quickly to the next test. On New Year’s Day in Baal, it was Verstrynge who pushed him hardest. On Thursday in Mol, another familiar rival awaits. “These days I’m often better in the second race than in the first,” Van der Poel said. “Maybe that’s age. Hopefully that’s also the case tomorrow.”
That next challenge comes against Wout van Aert, promising a very different dynamic. But in Baal, Van der Poel was content to acknowledge resistance where it came, having once again found the decisive moment when it mattered most.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- 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
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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