"I don't know if Van der Poel always wins this year" – CX expert expects Van Aert & Nys to make life a lot more difficult for world champion this winter

Mathieu van der Poel will start his cyclocross campaign as reigning world champion and the rider chasing an eighth world title in the field, but there is a sense that this winter might not be quite as straightforward as the last few years.

Speaking on the Live Slow, Ride Fast podcast, Van Gucht floated the idea of Belgium structuring its races around Van Aert with meaningful support. “Pair Wout this year with Thibau Nys, with a few good guys just behind them, and then I don’t know if Van der Poel always wins just like that,” he said.

Van der Poel’s superiority was obvious from the moment he entered the field last season. His opening race in Zonhoven saw him surge through the field from a distant grid slot before riding alone at the front within minutes.

That display came while Van Aert was still recovering from his Vuelta a Espana crash — a contrast both Van Gucht and Herygers were keen to underline.

On Live Slow, Ride Fast, Herygers said he expects a significantly closer rivalry when Van Aert returns. “I think Wout can cause a surprise and that it will be tighter than last year,” he said.

He pointed to conditions that may suit Van Aert in particular. “I remember Dendermonde. A mud race where you have to run — Wout can do that better than anyone. In my eyes, also better than Van der Poel. But aside from that, it will be difficult to beat Van der Poel.”

Van Gucht added that Van der Poel remains an exceptional all-round runner. “He is perfect, but Wout can run well through the mud.” Looking ahead to Hulst, he warned that Van Aert will need more racing beforehand: “Wout will have to race more, otherwise he’ll experience again what he experienced at the World Championships in Lievin last year, where he had to start from the fourth row.”

Van der Poel is aiming for his eighth world title, which would make him the sole record holder. Van Gucht’s suggestion of pairing Van Aert with Nys was presented in that context — a possible tactical structure rather than a claim that Nys poses a one-on-one threat. His idea rested entirely on that single line: “Pair Wout this year with Thibau Nys… and then I don’t know if Van der Poel always wins just like that.”

With return dates for both Van der Poel and Van Aert still unconfirmed, the message from Live Slow, Ride Fast was clear: Van der Poel remains the benchmark, but Van Aert — and potentially Nys beside him — can give him a far more complicated winter than the one seen a year ago.