"There are plenty of challengers": Mathieu van der Poel analyzes who should be his main threats in Hulst

It's almost there. Already this Sunday, we will see Mathieu van der Poel return to his cyclocross roots during the Hulst World Cup. Later this year, the Dutchman, who can already be considered a legend of the sport, will have an opportunity to become the sole leader of historical records with what could be his eighth World Championships title. But the main focus is on this weekend as winning is already the only thing on Van der Poel's mind.

Van der Poel's team manager suggested that keeping the world champion aside of racing was almost impossible the last couple weeks. "That's putting it a bit too strongly," MVDP begins in a social media post. "I really enjoy training, but I missed the competition. I'm really looking forward to getting back on the pitch a week earlier than last year."

The Dutchman's wait finally comes to an end in Namur. He's won the Citadelcross five times before, but the last time was in 2020. "It's been a long time since I last rode there. And I think it's a really nice cross. I feel like I'm ready for it," there's hardly a trace of stress.

Despite his apparent passion for cyclocross, the 30-year-old did not lose sight of his road responsibilities and only trained cyclocross-specifically this week for the first time. "Two [training sessions]. One Tuesday and one yesterday, Thursday. That's not much, but it was no different last year, and in the end, it turned out to be enough. Hopefully, it will be enough this time too."

Van der Poel hopes to complete 12 or 13 cyclocross races this winter based on this limited preparation. But he believes that won't be an issue in some of his favourite races. "I did take the circuits into account and chose the races I enjoy. The fact that some of them are in the wider Antwerp area is a bonus."

Most of them in a block after the Christmas. "And it's not illogical that it's a long series. The second half of December is a period in which you can ride more races anyway. Since I'm in Belgium anyway, I prefer competition over training," said MVDP.

So far this winter, we have seen Thibau Nys dominate most races including the first two World Cup rounds, but he was beaten by Toon Aerts at European Championships. Nys was also absent from the Terralba World Cup in Sardinia, won by Michael Vanthourenhout whose winter seems to have finally taken a turn for better. Did Mathieu analyze his rivals while in Spain?

"Since I was usually on the bike myself, I didn't follow it too closely," he admitted. "Everything points to Thibau Nys being a bit of a new benchmark. Specifically for Namur, you always have to mention Michael Vanthourenhout and Toon Aerts. And Cameron Mason has taken a step. There are plenty of challengers," Van der Poel observes.

And then you have to add Wout van Aert into the matrix from next weekend onwards: "Like every year, you know. We both have our own build-up, especially towards the spring. We'll run into each other then. How we'll compare this winter remains to be seen. Hopefully, we can offer the audience some spectacle."

Van der Poel's main hope is to win: "Expectations can be high, and I set them high myself. Although I personally think I'm still a percent lower than last year. Still, it should be enough to immediately compete for the win." The eighth rainbow jersey hangs in the air: "The World Championships in Hulst are the absolute main goal. The fact that I can become the sole record holder this time is a direct consequence, not the goal in itself," he concludes.