"I've always hoped to retire on a high" - Might we be watching Mathieu van der Poel's final cyclocross race this weekend?

The Hulst World Championships will provide Mathieu van der Poel with the chance of conquering an eighth rainbow jersey in cyclocross, and will also provide van der Poel with an opportunity to retire from the discipline whenever he desires. This might be this weekend, or in a few years, but the Dutchman does not exclude any scenario.

However before that becomes a decision to make, he has to win this Sunday's race. "I'm focused and certainly not going there with the feeling that it's already a given. I've had good preparation, and that gives me peace of mind. But it still has to happen," van der Poel said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.

However there aren't too many who doubt van der Poel will win the worlds once again, taking into consideration he has won every single race he's started over the past two cyclocross seasons, and over the past month there hasn't been a race where anyone - besides Wout van Aert - looked to be able to take him on.

His performances this past weekend in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide weren't attempts at intimidating his rivals then, he insists. "There's no point in trying to make a statement, because in Hulst everyone starts from scratch. I just felt really good, hopefully I'll have a good day on Sunday too".

The technical and explosive course in Hulst, with its many banks, is almost perfect for the Dutchman who has won there before. "I haven't studied the course yet, but it should suit me. They're also predicting some rain this week. I'm happy with that, because I'm hoping for a tough race."

Asked directly about his potential retirement from the discipline, van der Poel responded: "I still love cyclocross, but you also have to think about other options. And it has to end at some point, you know. I've always hoped to retire on a high." Previously, he talked about the curiosity over what a spring without a cyclocross winter would look like, to experiment and understand if he could improve even further.

However one of his statements raises an interesting topic, which is that of him in part missing the entire season, but still racing the CX Worlds. "Having the choice makes everything a bit easier. Riding just the World Championships is also a possibility," he admits.

However what he wants is the freedom to make his choice. But of course, all will depend on him being able to actually win this Sunday afternoon. "We'll see. And if it doesn't work out? Then I'll definitely keep going. Now that I'm so close to that record, it's definitely a goal."