"I couldn't stand seeing someone else become world champion" – Mathieu van der Poel tipped to chase ninth rainbow jersey despite retirement talk
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel has openly contemplated retiring from cyclocross after becoming the most successful men's world champion in the discipline's history, but former rival Eli Iserbyt believes the Dutchman will find it difficult to resist chasing a ninth rainbow jersey.
With Van der Poel yet to commit to another winter, Iserbyt suspects that watching somebody else claim a title he remains capable of winning would be almost unbearable for the 31-year-old.
Van der Poel surpassed Erik De Vlaeminck's longstanding record with his eighth world title in Hulst in February, completing an unbeaten 2025/26 campaign in the process. He had already discussed the possibility of retiring at the top, while also questioning whether skipping cyclocross altogether might benefit his ambitions on the road.
Iserbyt convinced Van der Poel will defend his crown
Speaking on Pickx Sport's Derailleur podcast, Iserbyt offered a different perspective on the prospect of Van der Poel stepping away while still dominating the discipline.
"If I were Mathieu, I couldn't stand seeing someone else become world champion knowing I could have raced myself at that moment," said the former European cyclocross champion. "Unless, of course, your wife gives birth the day or week before."
The qualification is particularly relevant. Van der Poel and his partner Roxanne Bertels are expecting their first child in January, coinciding with the World Championships in Ostend. Following his bronze medal at September's Road World Championships in Montréal, the Dutchman remained non-committal about his winter plans, acknowledging the significance of becoming a father for the first time.
Iserbyt nevertheless expects him to defend his title. "I think he'll always ride the World Championships," he said. "It's only an hour, after all..."
Having seen his own career brought to a premature end, Iserbyt also understands the value of opportunities that might not come around again. The Belgian was forced to retire in January 2026, aged just 28, following persistent problems with blood flow in his left leg. Four operations failed to resolve the condition, bringing an early end to a career that included a European title and two overall World Cup triumphs.
"I think that, in Mathieu's mind, the more world titles he can win, the better," Iserbyt said. "They're still titles, and at some point it will all come to an end and those opportunities won't be there anymore."
Read also
Have Van der Poel's plans already been decided?
Beyond his belief that Van der Poel will return, Iserbyt also suspects that the lack of a public announcement might be deliberate. He pointed towards Philip and Christoph Roodhooft, the brothers behind Alpecin-Premier Tech, suggesting that the Dutchman's programme could already have been mapped out.
"I think they've had a plan ready for him for a long time," he said. "The Roodhooft brothers are smart enough to have everything planned out already, but it's also quite nice for the media and the fans to have a bit of mystery surrounding it."
Van der Poel's camp has offered no confirmation of such a plan, and the possibility of spending an entire winter away from cyclocross remains genuine. After years of balancing the discipline with his ambitions in the spring Classics, he has questioned whether a different approach to his preparation could offer advantages on the road.
His performances have certainly given him little sporting reason to stop. Van der Poel won all 13 cyclocross races he contested last winter, extending his unbeaten run to 24 consecutive appearances and claiming a fourth successive world title. His last defeat came in January 2024, when a crash in Benidorm ended his chances of victory.
The next World Championships take place in Ostend on 31 January 2027, six years after Van der Poel defeated Wout van Aert at the same venue to secure his fifth rainbow jersey. Whether he returns there as the defending champion remains unanswered, with the prospect of another historic triumph now competing with the very different priorities awaiting him at the start of the new year.
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Headline putting words in his mouth he didn’t say!!Lozza25-10-2026
- Severe concussion is very serious. Researchers have only recently started using technology that shows detailed images of people's brains before and after concussion. The reduction in blood flow to the front of the brain lasts for months, well after the person is cleared to return to their sport. UAE have indicated the concussion was worrying them at least as much as his other injuries.Hills3325-10-2026
- One very respected current coach recently reminded of a very important physio psychological factor often overlooked which is the way the body sneaks its neglected needs back in as you destress. We all know this phenomenon, it’s what explains why you can overwork right until the last minute with no side effects and then fall ill as soon as you relax and arrive on holiday. It’s why pros are reluctant to relax before big races, not because they don’t need the recovery but because a proper chance at recovery increases the likelihood of falling ill which is fatal before race day, better to partially recover but keep that stress that forces the body to keep going longer. There is a huge difference between the potential effects from expected recovery like knowing the off season is coming where your body knows it doesn’t have to impose itself immediately because your mind tells your body it will have plenty of time to do its chores and unexpected recovery due to e.g. an accident where the mind will convey that the duration is unknown and the body will try to immediately install its maintenance program. If you’ve been abusing your body for years without unexpected breaks, always keeping it in that stressed state so it couldn’t do its long-term work, you may find all sorts of problems coming out off the wood work, new injuries, new thoughts, new resistance, new barriers to performance, etc. It’s like we continue to carry our unresolved childhood experiences as adults and can mostly ignore them as long as we have control of our routine but when something unexpected triggers us, it all comes out and complicates things.Jumpyjohn25-10-2026
- MVDP was hampered in performance for almost 2 years. Pog has already hinted at having a new mindset since. It has to be considered that if he loses just a part of his past competitive spirit (which was crucial in many of his wins and needless efforts), it could affect his results negatively. Nobody knows in advance and nobody stays the same or on top forever. He may even be the type to retire and then make a comeback.Jumpyjohn25-10-2026
- C’mon, give the guy a break ;-) He has to write so much way faster than he can check to keep up the banter that he hardly realises what he’s saying half the time. He’d make a great populist politicianJumpyjohn25-10-2026
- I think there are more people who feel sorry for you than hate you. As the challenge, what is it exactly, trying to change people’s minds? At least if we’re not able to get rid of you it means you’ll keep discourse to a generally acceptable level, already quite some improvement.Jumpyjohn25-10-2026
- Racing the TT bike bike will be different, he will not be able to keep a super aero position as he has in the past, he will need to find a new postion on the bike where he can make power and limit his losses. He broke his C7 for God's sake. This is basic medical knowlege. Of course, he is different than most, I hope he can recover, the problem is he may be 2% ish less efficient on his TT bike.awp25-10-2026
- He broke his back, as compared to what happened to my back, his is minor but it could affect him negatively, specifically on the TT bike. We will have to see.awp25-10-2026
- Riders are coming in younger and younger. I think it will be tougher on the riders who are older. Some will be getting 'aged out'.Paggss25-10-2026
- I agree. I think Taddy will recover and compete at his previous level. I will say his crash will be in the back of his mind however, I think in a good way also. I believe he'll be looking for ways to remain safer. He's still young and it was a tough crash but not a life threatening one. As a road bike rider myself, all my crashes have affected me mentally although it's not a major factor. What has affected by level is age. I can't beat 'father time'Paggss25-10-2026
Loading
1 Comments