“Not only I would lap him, he’d be taken out of the race” – Mathieu van der Poel challenges Jasper Philipsen to try cyclocross
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel did not need Benidorm to start a rivalry with Jasper Philipsen. He needed a moment. And once the words were out, the story was no longer about who won a race. It was about who would dare the other into unfamiliar territory first.
“Not only I would lap him, but everyone else too. They sometimes underestimate the level of cyclocross,” Van der Poel said in conversation with Sporza, laughing, when the idea of Philipsen trying a cross was raised.
It was not said with malice. It was said with the kind of confidence that only comes from someone who knows exactly how hard his own sport really is. And it landed exactly where it was meant to: as a challenge.
The exchange came in the wake of Benidorm, where Van der Poel had added the race to his programme at the last minute and then blown it apart with an early solo. But the bigger story came afterwards, when the focus shifted away from the result and towards the people who had pushed him there in the first place. “My teammates forced me all week to race, because they wanted to come and watch,” Van der Poel said, explaining why he even lined up in Spain.
That pressure did not just come from random voices in the team. It came from riders like Philipsen, who wanted to see what would happen if Van der Poel did show up. “That definitely played a part in my decision,” he said. “Although I did hesitate for a long time, because my training is very important.”
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From persuasion to provocation
Once Van der Poel had raced and won, the dynamic flipped. The man who had been pushed into Benidorm suddenly became the one doing the pushing. “We’ve been pushing him for a few years to ride a cross as well,” Van der Poel said. “I think Heusden Zolder would be a perfect race for him.”
Philipsen did not rush to accept. And Van der Poel knew exactly why. “Because of the 80 percent rule he would be taken out of the race,” he said. “Not only I would lap him, but everyone else too.”
It was half joke, half warning. Cyclocross is not a novelty discipline you simply drop into. And Van der Poel, more than anyone, understands how brutal the gap can be between watching a race and surviving one.
Philipsen, for his part, did not leave it there either. If Van der Poel wanted him in a cross, then Van der Poel would have to return the favour elsewhere. As a counter, Philipsen floated the idea of dragging his team-mate into a beach race. Different surface. Different chaos. Same logic: see how the other survives outside his comfort zone.
Suddenly, the Benidorm weekend had created something that had nothing to do with who finished first. It had created a standing dare between two of the biggest names in modern cycling.
This is not about contracts or calendars yet. It is about tone. Two riders who are used to winning in their own worlds are now daring each other to step into someone else’s.
Van der Poel has already shown he can cross boundaries. Philipsen has not yet done so. But after that line, it is clear the idea is no longer a joke thrown into the air. It is a challenge that is waiting for an answer.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
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