Niels Albert believes van der Poel has room to improve but "don't know if Van Aert still has as much margin for progression"

The rivalry between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel is the highlight of cyclocross races, while Van Aert is in top form before the World Championship, former World Champion Niels Albert is convinced Van der Poel can still come back.

Currently, both riders are busy in training camp. "I expect a completely different Van der Poel," Albert told Het Laatste Nieuws. He continues, "He can take his mind off things, do kilometres with his teammates and have fun. Van der Poel can return from Spain as a better crosser. I don't know if Van Aert still has as much margin for progression. He does ride fast, though."

He believes that Van der Poel still has scope for growth and advancement in contrast to his rival. "Wout is already ready to ride the World Cup. Mathieu still has to get better. This is about minute differences. If Van der Poel is a little bit better, he won't make the mistake he made in Loenhout and win the race. Same with the sprint in Zolder. And then the Christmas period looks completely different. It is still four weeks until the World Cup, and things can change quickly. Four weeks is enough for Van der Poel to close the gap," said Albert.

The Belgian rider may be in excellent shape, but it is not a guarantee of winning the World Championship, anything is possible. "There, everything starts again from scratch. There Wout has to ride hard again to beat Van der Poel. With Mathieu van der Poel, you're never done. He's going to be good in Hoogerheide. It will take the best Wout van Aert there to beat him," argues Albert.

However, van der Poel’s back issues can’t be ignored easily. "He is now complaining of a sore back. Maybe it is because he is not 100 per cent fit. He is riding at the limit and he is exhausting his body. Mathieu himself will know what it is due to. He is not the kind of rider who looks for excuses," concluded Albert.