"I was too late to see the sprint" - Adrie van der Poel reveals he missed son Mathieu's World Championship victory

As the world watched Mathieu van der Poel outsprint Wout van Aert to claim a victory for the ages at the Cyclocross World Championships, the winners' father Adrie van der Poel was one of the few not glued to the action.

“We did the same as always because normally I always help David. That's why I stood with a group of acquaintances," Adrie van der Poel tells WielerFlits. "In the last lap, I ran back, but I was too late to see the sprint. But seeing the enthusiasm in the tent made me think he had won.”

Discussing the parts of his sons' victory that he did manage to watch, Adrie van der Poel expressed his delight at the performance of the now five-time world champion. “I think Mathieu was slightly better. Everyone hopes that he went full on the last beams, but he is smart enough to know that that was not feasible to the finish line," he says. "He was just good, we knew that. That is the merit of the team and of himself. But we all know he's a killer."