Rivalry with Wout van Aert "will be something special to look back to" - Mathieu van der Poel

Mathieu van der Poel has ended his cyclocross season with a bang, taking a massive fifth World title in Hoogerheide as he beat Wout van Aert in a very tight battle. The two have pointed everything towards this race, and they both threw everything they could in what was another battle in a long-term rivalry.

Van der Poel's flash interview declarations were enough to prove his happiness and satisfaction over the triumph, however over the afternoon he's talked to the media more and revealed more insight: “I think if you take one of us two away, then it makes the races less interesting for sure. It was a good battle against Wout who is really hard to beat, so I’m happy," Cyclingnews tells.

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Alongside Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have brought in a big amount of fans from road cycling where they have been thriving over the last few years, and the expected battle in the men's Elite race at the cyclocross World Championships came to be as immediately on the first lap van der Poel and van Aert stood out from the rest.

It is a rivalry as old as their competitive record, and he talks of this relationship with van Aert. “It’s better already for a couple of years of cyclocross and the road, there is always respect between us. Maybe you don’t appreciate it sometimes when you get beaten but after our career it will be something special to look back on," he said.

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Van der Poel suffered from back problems and seemed to be below Wout van Aert in the crucial Christmas block, but has taken the last month of preparation to prepare as best as possible for a track that suited him perfectly, where the fast speeds and lack of running and slow sections favoured him.

“Everybody said during the Christmas period that Wout was stronger than I was. The moment I left for Spain I tried to turn a switch on and focus on this race. I needed two or three weeks to really work on it [back], get some treatment and do a lot of exercise," van der Poel describes. “It was quiet for me, rather than being on my bike or doing some other training I was in the gym almost every day which was necessary."

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Despite having taken this win, van der Poel isn't expected to compete in his new rainbow jersey until the next winter. In the meantime he will take some rest before beginning the road-specific preparation for the spring classics where he has taken a big wins last year.

“That’s always the case for every rider as it’s only five or six races so we try to be the best we can. It’s really nice to become world champion but it isn’t anything to do with the road season. You start again from zero and I’m going to try and do some nice races in the road season," he concluded. 

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Video: The sprint between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert that decided the Cyclocross World Championships

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This crowd. 🤯 Thank you, Hoogerheide. 🙌 #Hoogerheide2023

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