"Mathieu missed a full winter last year takes time and we cannot just catch up" - Alpecin-Deceuninck manager attempts to put out fire following Mathieu van der Poel's back problems

The X2O Trofee not only saw a dominant win from Wout van Aert, but also slight back pain in Mathieu van der Poel. Two blows in one day were a bad sign for the Dutchman who finds himself below the Belgian, but within Alpecin-Deceuninck there is work to try and remain calm.

“The fact that Mathieu missed a full winter last year takes time and we cannot just catch up. You see with several riders that they don't just get back to their old level. That also applies to Mathieu," Alpecin-Deceuninck Christoph Roodhoft told Het Nieuwsblad. "Van der Poel was riden by Wout van Aert in the Duinencross [Koksijde] on Thursday in a minute and a half. But is that more than twenty seconds?

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The two have been very balanced throughout the past few weeks in the cyclocross calendar, however on occasion van Aert has dealt big blows, the latest being in Koksijde in the sand-filled course. However Roodhoft urges that the big gap created is not a reason for concerns on the side of Mathieu van der Poel.

“If you see that it's not your day, it ultimately doesn't matter how much difference you lose. In a mountain stage in a grand tour, one and a half minutes is a lot if you go for a classification. That doesn't count here. Mathieu is second here, but the difference is big," he argued.

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His brother David van der Poel has agreed with the current situation out in the field. “Mathieu is not used to losing with so much difference, but Wout is just a little better at the moment. Mathieu was the better before New Year, but then did not find the courses to make the difference, now it is up to Wout."

And you really see that on courses like Koksijde. The World Championships is still a month away, so he certainly won't panic”

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