"Those guys should get the respect they deserve" - Van Aert and van der Poel continue to come back to cyclocross despite spring classics and Tour de France goals

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are both monument and Tour de France stage winners, as well as much, much more, in the world of cycling, however is the respect they earn enough? Bart Wellend, cyclocross legend, argues that the more the merrier for the two who continue to return to the discipline despite their success away from it on the road.

"Mathieu may live in Belgium, but he's truly Dutch. But he certainly enjoys the sympathy of the Belgian people, although Wout remains somewhat better known and more popular," Bart Wellens explained to In de Leiderstrui. "All in all, it's not much of a difference, because they're both incredibly popular. Go to a road race in the summer and you'll see them lined up at the Visma and Alpecin buses". 

It is a popularity that follows them everywhere they go, regardless of the discipline. On the road, aside from Tadej Pogacar, they continue to be the two riders that attract the most attention ahead of races such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. They also regularly work together and respect each other, something that in the 'old days' of cyclocross certainly wasn't always the case, as Wellens knows well.

"Now those top riders really appreciate each other. Is that a matter of more respect? It's just that they both have great careers and are still pursuing them, but on the other hand, cyclocross is nothing compared to what those guys have already won. The Tour of Flanders, stages in the Tour de France, and so on: that's a different level," he argues.

"That respect exists because they know what each other has to do to achieve it and how they've lifted each other to a higher level." This winter the two have five duels in cyclocross, the second one today in Hofstade. And every time, the crowd numbers are high and also loud. "The audience those guys bring is an added bonus. In Flanders, in the lead-up to a first cyclocross race, people talk about 'Het Duel' for days."

"Those guys should get the respect they deserve. Cyclocross is still a low-level sport, and that's precisely why we need them so much," the sport legend adds. "And we should be happy they still want to come. They could also say: spring or the Tour is more important, very easily." Van der Poel's continuation in the discipline currently is under discussion however, as this winter could be his last on the cross bike.