"That's where you can make the difference" - Brutal sandbox attack gives Mathieu van der Poel victory at Superprestige Diegem
Cyclocross
There continues to be no stopping Mathieu van der Poel this winter as the dual-discipline world champion continues to dominante his cyclocross rivals.
"It was a super fun race. The crowd was great, so it was a good night," reflects the Dutchman in his post-race interview. Unlike in recent races, van der Poel didn't attack front the start, instead waiting to mid race to make his move. According to the man himself, this was all part of the masterplan.
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"That's too strict for the others, because it was quite windy. It is difficult to drive here alone, so it was a conscious decision to wait and see," he explains, before referring to his brutal attack in the sand that fired him away from his rivals. "That was the most difficult point, that's where you can make the difference."
"These are tough days, so I'm glad it was 55 minutes," concludes van der Poel with a smile. Competing the podium in Diegem were Tom Pidcock and Eli Iserbyt.
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🤯 Holy smokes 💥
— Atlanta Rouleur Collection (@AtlantaRouleur) December 28, 2023
Mathieu van der Poel attacking HARD into one of the most technically challenging sections of this course ⚡️
The style, the souplesse, the POWER 🥊#MVDP #Diegem
🎥: @flobikes pic.twitter.com/PizMgWsqzk

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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Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026 - Many Europeans say that Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia are one of the most beautiful countries in Europe known for their stunning landscapes because of the Alp mountains, green forests, clean rivers and lakes, coastlines, and national parks.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
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- I was in Maribor last summer (while spending time in Graz with family) but of course it was the day of independence and everything was shut. Sigh. Lovely walk on the river. (And yes, I’m Austrian and live in the US.)RidesHills15-11-2026
- Riding a mountain bike off road after his injuries is not very responsiblecaptmike15-11-2026
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- headline criticism agreed. but otherwise he certainly has a point. you can negotiate extra perks if you are way above he rest ... however, these times have long gone ...Ketterechts15-11-2026
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