Adrie van der Poel says Mathieu didn't have a perfect winter: "He complained now and then"

A legend like Adrie van der Poel doesn’t get impressed easily anymore, but after seeing his son Mathieu’s eighth world title, even the former world champion was impressed in Hulst.

"You can’t just take for granted what the current generation is doing. For me, it remains very special. Getting here wasn’t easy either. It’s impressive that he shows up time and again. Because of the wins in recent years, a kind of calm has come over me, he doesn’t panic so quickly, doesn’t get nervous that fast. That’s one of the biggest improvements," Adrie says to our camera.

Van der Poel seems to get stronger every winter. And according to Adrie, that’s indeed the case. "He said: if I want to beat Tadej Pogacar in the classics, I’ll have to do something different. If you don’t, the competition won’t stand still. That’s true both on the road and in the cyclocross world," Van der Poel senior explains.

The other approach was steady growth, peaking in Hulst. "He himself would say he didn’t have a perfect winter. It went as planned, he won everywhere and was very strong here. But I heard him complain sometimes that it wasn’t as easy as last year. If you ask to not be at your best from the start, you have to accept improving week by week."

"Especially after his second training camp in Benidorm, it was very good. The World Cup in Maasmechelen was a bit less, but that was also due to two flat tires that threw him out of rhythm. He said himself that last Sunday’s race in Hoogerheide was his best race and I think everyone saw that too."

The step he has now taken in cyclocross, Mathieu needs to carry over to the classics. "The fact that he wins again will be related to his performance. His will to show up every time, to get through winter without worries, and his preparation for the classics. Then you hope he has taken another step and that he performs well in those races too. The hunger is not yet satisfied."