“This is the best Mathieu I’ve ever seen in cyclocross" - Christoph Roodhooft lauds praise onto Van der Poel

Mathieu van der Poel has been absolutely faultless since returning to competitive cyclocross on the 16th of December in Herentals. According the Alpecin-Deceuninck Sport Director, Christoph Roodhooft, this could be the best van der Poel we have ever seen. 

“This is the best Mathieu I’ve ever seen in cyclocross. At this time of the season, still before New Year, we’ve never seen a better Mathieu van der Poel," Roodhooft claims in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad. “He clearly stands out above the rest of the field. At this stage of the season he has never performed better.”

Not only has van der Poel taken four straight wins since his return to the discipline, in truth, it's been four completely dominant performances. Even the likes of Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock have struggled to live with the pace set by the Dutch, dual-discipline world champion.

“Mathieu has reached an age where a lot of things are falling into place. He feels good, technically it’s almost flawless, his bike is optimal, his position is ideal. It’s going just fine, end of the line,” Roodhooft explains. “But of course, everything starts with his talent. Mathieu hasn’t lost many races in the past 10 years, has he.”