"Time to go to bed. I have to catch up on some sleep" - Mathieu van der Poel has no plans to celebrate latest win as busy festive period starts to take toll

Mathieu van der Poel took his fifth win in seven days on Friday afternoon at Exact Cross Loenhout. With the races continuing to come thick and fast in the coming days, any celebrations will be put on hold for some much needed sleep.

“This was an old-fashioned mud cross. I like to do that," reflects the world champion in his post-race interview having taken a comfortable win just hours after another victory the previous night in Diegem.

Finishing ahead of teammate Gianni Vermeersch, the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo rode a near-perfect race. “I wanted to thin it out a bit. So it was good that Gianni came back. Still, I wanted to get away," explains van der Poel. "You have less control in the wheels. Then you can't see clearly where you are riding. When I took the lead solo, I could do my thing and things went better.”

Despite his imperious form, van der Poel is in no mood for celebration. “I'm going to have a leisurely meal and a massage. Then it's time to go to bed. I have to catch up on some sleep after yesterday," he laughs.