"Next week" - Mathieu van der Poel's DS will reveal the World Champion's winter schedule very soon!

From recent seasons, we've grown acustomed to Mathieu van der Poel's late starts to cyclocross season. In that regard, 2024/25 will be no different.

While his competitors were busy fighting for first victories in temperatures that brought about first snow in muc of Europe, the Dutch rider of Alpecin-Deceuninck was sunbathing far at south in Spain. But time doesn't wait for anyone, and if Van der Poel dares to think about seventh World title, he gradually needs to get the legs spinning again.

Throughout the early months of this off-season, Van der Poel took some time away from bicycle, but that doesn't mean he stood still for long. In the meantime, he trained in Calpe with friend Freddy Ovett. Among other feats, the two run a nice half-maraton time. This week, Van der Poel crawled back into his saddle and a comeback to cyclocross is on the horizon.

Although the return to competition for Van der Poel still seems far away, news about the cyclo-cross plans of the all-rounder on two wheels may soon come. Sporza asked Alpecin-Deceuninck manager Christoph Roodhooft during the Exact Cross of Kortrijk when there will be clarity about Van der Poel's plans and he answered as follows: "Let's say next week." The redeeming answer to the question of whether Van der Poel will race cyclo-cross must then follow in the period from 25 November to 1 December.