Mathieu van der Poel’s much anticipated return to cyclocross in Namur briefly took an unexpected turn after a heavy crash midway through the race.
The reigning world champion hit the deck in the fourth of nine laps when his front wheel locked in a corner, sending him over the handlebars on the demanding Citadel circuit. For a moment, rivals Lars van der Haar, Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout were able to open up a gap as Van der Poel picked himself up and remounted.
Thankfully, there were no serious consequences. Still wearing the rainbow jersey, Van der Poel limited the damage and quickly fought his way back into the leading group.
Watch the crash and the immediate aftermath in the video below.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Mathieu van der Poel is DOWN in Namur 😮 The world champion quickly remounts and appears to be uninjured.
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