"How we'll compare this winter remains to be seen" - Mathieu van der Poel on upcoming CX battles with Wout van Aert
Cyclocross
It's almost there. Already this Sunday, we will see Mathieu van der Poel return to his cyclocross roots during the Hulst World Cup. Later this year, the Dutchman, who can already be considered a legend of the sport, will have an opportunity to become the sole leader of historical records with what could be his eighth World Championships title. But the main focus is on this weekend as winning is already the only thing on Van der Poel's mind.
Van der Poel's team manager suggested that keeping the world champion aside of racing was almost impossible the last couple weeks. "That's putting it a bit too strongly," MVDP begins in a social media post. "I really enjoy training, but I missed the competition. I'm really looking forward to getting back on the pitch a week earlier than last year."
The Dutchman's wait finally comes to an end in Namur. He's won the Citadelcross five times before, but the last time was in 2020. "It's been a long time since I last rode there. And I think it's a really nice cross. I feel like I'm ready for it," there's hardly a trace of stress.
Despite his apparent passion for cyclocross, the 30-year-old did not lose sight of his road responsibilities and only trained cyclocross-specifically this week for the first time. "Two [training sessions]. One Tuesday and one yesterday, Thursday. That's not much, but it was no different last year, and in the end, it turned out to be enough. Hopefully, it will be enough this time too."
A dozen hand-picked races
Van der Poel hopes to complete 12 or 13 cyclocross races this winter based on this limited preparation. But he believes that won't be an issue in some of his favourite races. "I did take the circuits into account and chose the races I enjoy. The fact that some of them are in the wider Antwerp area is a bonus."
Most of them in a block after the Christmas. "And it's not illogical that it's a long series. The second half of December is a period in which you can ride more races anyway. Since I'm in Belgium anyway, I prefer competition over training," said MVDP.
So far this winter, we have seen Thibau Nys dominate most races including the first two World Cup rounds, but he was beaten by Toon Aerts at European Championships. Nys was also absent from the Terralba World Cup in Sardinia, won by Michael Vanthourenhout whose winter seems to have finally taken a turn for better. Did Mathieu analyze his rivals while in Spain?
"Since I was usually on the bike myself, I didn't follow it too closely," he admitted. "Everything points to Thibau Nys being a bit of a new benchmark. Specifically for Namur, you always have to mention Michael Vanthourenhout and Toon Aerts. And Cameron Mason has taken a step. There are plenty of challengers," Van der Poel observes.
And then you have to add Wout van Aert into the matrix from next weekend onwards: "Like every year, you know. We both have our own build-up, especially towards the spring. We'll run into each other then. How we'll compare this winter remains to be seen. Hopefully, we can offer the audience some spectacle."
Van der Poel's main hope is to win: "Expectations can be high, and I set them high myself. Although I personally think I'm still a percent lower than last year. Still, it should be enough to immediately compete for the win." The eighth rainbow jersey hangs in the air: "The World Championships in Hulst are the absolute main goal. The fact that I can become the sole record holder this time is a direct consequence, not the goal in itself," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 10visitors 6
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- 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
Loading
1 Comments