“I made too many mistakes” – Mathieu van der Poel not at his best but still victorious on return to cyclocross in Namur

Mathieu van der Poel’s long awaited return to cyclocross in Namur ended in victory, but the reigning world champion was quick to stress that the performance itself fell short of his own standards.

Rather than overwhelming the field from the outset, Van der Poel needed time, patience and a late intervention to secure the win on the demanding Citadel circuit, openly acknowledging that errors crept into his race.

“I tried to wait and see how things developed, but I made too many mistakes in the wheels,” he admitted afterwards. “Sometimes it’s easier to ride on the front.”

Midway through the race, Van der Poel’s comeback briefly threatened to unravel when he crashed heavily in the fourth of nine laps. His front wheel locked in a corner, sending him over the handlebars and allowing Lars van der Haar, Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout to open a small gap as he remounted.

“A small steering error that I could just not correct anymore,” Van der Poel explained.

Thankfully, there were no serious consequences. Still wearing the rainbow jersey, he limited the damage and worked his way back into the leading group, but the incident underlined that this was not a flawless return.

“It was certainly not the easiest circuit to open my winter on,” he said. “I had to find my rhythm a bit.”

Starting from the third row, Van der Poel had already expended energy moving forward early on, before easing off the gas as the race settled. On a technical course like Namur, that decision came with risks, especially when riding in traffic.

Despite those setbacks, the world champion never lost belief that he could still decide the race. That confidence proved well placed. In the final lap, Van der Poel delivered one decisive acceleration, finally creating separation and sealing victory. “I always had the feeling that if there was a gap, I was in control,” he said. “But on a course like this you always have to dig deep.”

Asked whether the level of competition had caught him by surprise, Van der Poel was clear in his response. “No, not really,” he said. “As I said, last year I was a bit further along thanks to specific training. This year we planned that a little later.”

Namur confirmed that Van der Poel does not yet consider himself at full strength, but even on a day marked by mistakes, a crash and cautious pacing, his ability to take control when it matters most remains firmly intact.