“The record had been standing for a long time... That is very special" - Mathieu van der Poel takes historic 7th Cyclocross World Championship win

He's done it again! For a record-equalling 7th time in his career, Mathieu van der Poel has won at the Cyclocross World Championships, putting in a typically dominant performance in Lievin to secure the Rainbow Jersey in style.

Moving to the front in the early stages of the first lap, Van der Poel simply never looked back, surging clear of all his rivals to take a clear, solo win ahead of Wout van Aert in a distant 2nd. “I saw yesterday in the U23s, where Tibor del Grosso won, that it would be best to be at the front and just do your own thing, especially on this course, because it was very tricky. I wanted to quickly get a lead to discourage the chasers,” said the Dutchman in his post-race interview.

"I was fast in the first meters, but Toon Aerts could still pass me. I knew where I had to be at the front. I immediately created a nice gap, which gave me a lot of certainty for the rest of the race. I was afraid of a flat tire. I had a flat tire after passing the first checkpoint, so I had to ride around with a flat front tire for a long time. That cost a lot of energy. After that I also asked for a higher tire pressure to be sure," Van der Poel continues. “The record had been standing for a long time. I used to hope to equal it one day, but I could not have imagined that I would succeed one day. That is very special.”