"I didn't want to waste too much energy on this cross" - Mathieu van der Poel victorious in Zonhoven but remains laser-focused on World Championships

Mathieu van der Poel continued to prove he has no peer in cyclocross this winter, taking a 10th straight victory since returning to the discipline.

“I'm happy with how this part of the season went. And I am also happy that I can continue to work on my form in Spain. Today it was really cold for the first time and Joris Nieuwenhuis rode a strong pace, so I was in a good second position at the beginning," reflected van der Poel after making it 10 straight wins on Sunday at the UCI World Cup in Zonhoven.

Having stayed with the pack for the first four laps, when van der Poel made his move, there was no stopping him. “I already had the feeling that after the first part of the cross I could ride up that steep part, where others had to get off," he recalls. "At a certain point it became easier and I could go for it. I didn't want to waste too much energy on this cross.”

“Last year it was a completely different story. Let's hope I maintain that one hundred percent winning record, but in Benidorm we saw last year that the differences are small. I'm just not really concerned with winning all those races. I have to win Tabor, and that is where my focus is,” he concludes.