“It was a fairly short night" - Mathieu van der Poel hoping to celebrate mother's birthday with victory in Loenhout despite tired legs

Quite literally a matter of hours after his victory late on Thursday night in Diegem, Mathieu van der Poel is already preparing to take to the cross once again in Loenhout.

“It was a fairly short night,” admits the world champion, who is unbeaten this winter, in a pre-race interview with Wielerflits. “The circumstances are also completely different than yesterday. That makes it fun. Loenhout is very difficult, and that is simply the most fun here. It becomes important to make as few mistakes as possible.”

“I do feel it. The training sessions in between are still difficult, but we stick to the plan. It is important to continue to complete the training properly,” van der Poel continues. “I waited yesterday, today it's a little different. I'd rather be in the lead here. That makes it a little easier to choose your own tracks. But I also want to get through it as economically as possible with a view to tomorrow in Hulst. Maybe my teammates can hope, because riding solo for a whole hour is not always the best choice. We'll see how I feel.”

In some extra motivation, December the 29th is also the birthday of van der Poel's mother. “It has been the case for a long time that her birthday is on this day," he laughs. "This traditionally coincides with Loenhout.”