“Without that mistake, it would have been a sprint” – Mathieu van der Poel reflects on Gavere duel with Thibau Nys
Cyclocross
Mathieu van der Poel admitted that a single moment proved decisive in his latest victory at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, suggesting the race could easily have been settled in a sprint without a small error from Thibau Nys.
“It was difficult to make the difference,” Van der Poel said in his post-race interview. “Thibau was really strong. I honestly didn’t expect that I would be able to drop him. After Nys launched his attack, I decided to really ride one lap all out. He made a small mistake in the wheel, which gave me the space. Otherwise, I think it would have been a sprint.”
Van der Poel and Nys had been locked together for much of the race, with repeated accelerations on the Gavere climbs failing to create separation until the decisive moment.
Van der Poel’s comments underlined how fine the margins were after a race defined by pressure rather than constant attacks.
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World Cup context and Nys reaction
The world champion also addressed speculation about a possible appearance at the next World Cup round in Dendermonde. “We did have doubts,” he said. “But after talking it through, we decided to stick to the plan. Normally, I won’t be starting.”
Despite his victory, Van der Poel narrowly missed out on taking the World Cup leader’s jersey. Laurens Sweeck finished eleventh in Gavere, but retains the lead by a single point, sitting on 161 points to Van der Poel’s 160 after four wins this season. Van der Poel will not be present in Dendermonde on Sunday, where both Nys and Wout van Aert are expected to start.
Nys, meanwhile, was upbeat despite the error that ended his winning hopes. “I enjoyed it,” he said afterwards. “I wanted to ride my own race and not have regrets afterwards that I’d been too passive. Quite early on, I already felt that I couldn’t really push Van der Poel to his limit.”
“In the final laps I had to focus on holding the wheel, but on the lap where he went, I missed my pedal twice. Even without that mistake, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow him. The fatigue was definitely there at the end. I had very cold feet and maybe didn’t really know what I was doing anymore.”
With both riders acknowledging how evenly matched the duel had been, Gavere once again highlighted how little separates control from chaos on one of the calendar’s most demanding courses.
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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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