“Maybe I should apply for a licence again”: Sven Nys smiles as Mathieu van der Poel breaks his long-standing World Cup wins record

The record finally changing hands did little to alter Sven Nys’ perspective. After watching Mathieu van der Poel move clear with his 51st World Cup victory in Hoogerheide, the former benchmark holder reacted not with nostalgia or defensiveness, but with a knowing smile.

“Maybe I should apply for a licence again,” Nys joked, before immediately grounding the thought in reality. “Although I don’t think I’d still be able to beat him,” he added, speaking to VTM Nieuws.

A day earlier, after Van der Poel had drawn level on 50 wins, Nys had already framed the moment as inevitable. Seeing the record broken outright did nothing to change that tone. Instead, he leaned into what he believes is unfolding.

“I can enjoy watching how Van der Poel rides around here,” Nys said. “He is, I think, the best version of himself.” It was not framed as a one-off peak, but as a rider arriving at his highest level with apparent ease.

Nys reinforced that view by pointing to what Van der Poel has already produced on this course. He referenced the 2023 World Championships in Hoogerheide, where Van der Poel beat Wout van Aert in a sprint after a long duel. “He is a complete athlete,” Nys said, “one we should enjoy for as long as he is still racing here.”

Questions about how long Van der Poel will remain a cyclocross regular are never far away. Nys dismissed the idea that the story is close to ending. “Within two years, the World Championships will take place here again,” he said. “I assume he will be here then.”

Not everyone in the Nys camp shared that calm on Sunday afternoon. Thibau Nys missed out on the podium after a tactical misjudgement in the sprint behind Van der Poel, a frustration his father did not gloss over.

“He understands that he lost it tactically today,” Nys said. “He felt he could make a difference, but it wasn’t big enough.” Even so, he stressed the belief remains intact. “Thibau has confidence in his condition, and that will come through next week,” he said, looking ahead to the World Championships.

Nys also framed the disappointment as potentially useful. “A moment like this can also bring some sharpness, focus and aggression,” he said.

In the end, the record changing hands felt less like a closing chapter than a natural progression. Nys’ name may no longer sit alone at the top of the World Cup list, but his reaction made clear that he sees Van der Poel’s dominance not as a break from the past, but as the sport continuing at its highest level.