“That is very nice, I’m proud”: Mathieu van der Poel makes history and confirms place as greatest cyclocross rider with record-breaking World Cup win in Hoogerheide

Mathieu van der Poel left Hoogerheide not just with another dominant victory, but with a record that finally places him alone at the top of World Cup history.

By securing his 51st career World Cup win, the reigning world champion moved clear of Sven Nys and underlined his status as the defining cyclocross rider of the modern era.

Despite the scale of the gap and the apparent ease with which he controlled the race, Mathieu van der Poel was keen to downplay the performance itself. Speaking after the finish, he rejected the idea of having delivered another exhibition. “I just rode my own tempo,” he said.

That calm assessment did little to hide how satisfied he was with his current condition. “I’m really happy with the feeling,” Van der Poel explained. “Because I was able to work well in Spain, I notice that I’m much better than in the first half of the season. Back then I mainly focused on endurance training. I’m very happy with the form.”

The historical weight of the win was impossible to ignore. With victory number 51, Van der Poel overtook Sven Nys, whose tally of 50 World Cup wins had stood as the benchmark for a decade. It was a milestone achieved not through a tight duel or late drama, but through a solo ride that stripped the race of uncertainty before halfway.

For Van der Poel, however, the record did not prompt reflection so much as quiet satisfaction. “That is very nice,” he said. “I’m proud of it, and I’m looking forward to next week.”

That final remark captured the wider picture. Hoogerheide was not treated as an endpoint, but as confirmation that his preparation had peaked at precisely the right moment. The training block in Spain, the patience through the early part of the winter, and the sharpness now evident have all been directed toward one objective.

With the World Championships looming, Van der Poel leaves the final World Cup round having rewritten the record books once more, but with his focus already fixed firmly ahead. The number matters. The form matters more.