“He’s had a good break” – Mathieu van der Poel’s cyclocross return to be confirmed imminently, says Christoph Roodhooft

After a short off-season spent recharging in the United States, Mathieu van der Poel is back in training and preparing for his latest assault on the cyclocross calendar. According to team boss Christoph Roodhooft, the world champion’s return to the mud is now only a matter of weeks away – with an official announcement set to be made soon.

Van der Poel, who wrapped up his 2025 campaign after the Mountain Bike World Championships in mid-September, has been gradually increasing the intensity of his training since returning from holiday. “He’s had a good break,” Roodhooft told Sporza. “He’s now training towards his cyclocross campaign.”

The exact date of his first race remains under wraps, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck boss hinted that it will be revealed during the upcoming presentation of the 2026 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Hulst. The event, which takes place from 30 January to 1 February in the Netherlands, could see Van der Poel chase a record-breaking eighth elite world title — surpassing the all-time mark set by the legendary cyclocross icon Erik De Vlaeminck.

Van der Poel heads into the 2025/26 cyclocross season as one of the most successful riders in the discipline’s illustrious history, boasting a staggering seven elite rainbow jersey victories and a win rate of around 70% across his more than 200 races as a pro. Despite balancing commitments across the road, mountain bike and cyclocross seasons, his dominance in the mud remains almost unrivalled.

His likely reappearance this winter will be eagerly anticipated. In recent years, Van der Poel has opted for a selective cross campaign – focusing on key World Cups, the Dutch Championships, and the World Championships themselves – while using the discipline as both a competitive outlet and a technical sharpening block for his spring classics campaign on the road.

For Roodhooft, the Dutchman’s preparations appear perfectly on track. “He’s training now towards his cross campaign,” he reiterated, while also confirming that the team’s star female rider, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, is recovering well from the knee injury that has delayed her own start to the 2025/26 season. “Everything is moving in the right direction,” Roodhooft smiles.

With Van der Poel’s return to the mud imminent and Hulst set to host the biggest showdown of the winter, anticipation is already building that the reigning world champion could once again write another chapter in cyclocross history.