It’s almost there. Already this Sunday, we will see Mathieu van der Poel return to his cyclocross roots during the Hulst World Cup. Later this year, the Dutchman, who can already be considered a legend of the sport, will have an opportunity to become the sole leader of historical records with what could be his eighth World Championships title. But the main focus is on this weekend as winning is already the only thing on Van der Poel’s mind.
Van der Poel’s team manager suggested that keeping the world champion aside of racing was almost impossible the last couple weeks. “That’s putting it a bit too strongly,” MVDP begins in a social media post. “I really enjoy training, but I missed the competition. I’m really looking forward to getting back on the pitch a week earlier than last year.”
The Dutchman’s wait finally comes to an end in Namur. He’s won the Citadelcross five times before, but the last time was in 2020. “It’s been a long time since I last rode there. And I think it’s a really nice cross. I feel like I’m ready for it,” there’s hardly a trace of stress
Despite his apparent passion for cyclocross, the 30-year-old did not lose sight of his road responsibilities and only trained cyclocross-specifically this week for the first time. “Two [training sessions]. One Tuesday and one yesterday, Thursday. That’s not much, but it was no different last year, and in the end, it turned out to be enough. Hopefully, it will be enough this time too.”p
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