After a slightly longer rest break than he's used to, Mathieu van der Poel is starting to feel the itch. The eight-time world champion is eager to dive back into the field on Sunday in Namur, and the competition has been warned. "I feel like I'm ready," Van der Poel said in a press release from his team Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Last week, reports reached us that Van der Poel had not returned to his best form throughout the autumn after his pneumonia during the Tour de France. After the Mountain Bike World Championships, he ended his season, then stayed off the bike for nearly a month. "My season was a bit shorter than in other years, so I could take a bit more rest," Van der Poel admitted. "After those four weeks, I resumed training in Belgium. Two weeks later, I moved to my regular base in Spain to continue working and gradually build up the intensity again."
That has gone well so far. Team manager Christoph Roodhooft already indicated that he expects a strong Van der Poel upon his return, because he must be tired of training. "That’s a bit exaggerated. I really do enjoy training. But it’s true that I missed competing. After the Tour, there were only the Renewi Tour and two MTB races. I’m really looking forward to starting the season a week earlier than last year. It’s been a long time since I raced in Namur. And I really like this race. I feel ready."
Winning the world title again is Van der Poel’s goal – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
"As preparation, I trained twice on the cyclocross bike. Once on Tuesday and once yesterday, Thursday. That’s not much, but it was the same last year and it turned out to be enough. Hopefully, it will suffice this time as well. Expectations can be high—I set them high myself. Although I personally think I’m still a percent or so below last year’s level right now, I believe it will be enough to fight for the win right away."
For the rest of the winter, which consists of 12 or 13 cyclocross races, we shouldn't expect many surprises. "I did take the courses into account and chose the races I enjoy riding. That many of them are around the Antwerp area is a nice bonus. If I am in Belgium anyway, I prefer racing over training. The World Championships in Hulst remain the absolute main goal, as every year. That I can become the sole record holder this time is a direct consequence—not the goal itself."
Van der Poel will also go head-to-head with Wout van Aert five times. "Like every year, huh. We both have our own build-up, especially toward the spring. We’ll meet occasionally. How we will compare this winter will become clear then. Hopefully, we can offer the fans some spectacle. And as for the rest: everything points to Thibau Nys being the new benchmark, while Joris Nieuwenhuis confirms himself. Specifically for Namur, you always have to mention Michael Vanthourenhout and Toon Aerts. And Cameron Mason has made a step forward. Plenty of challengers," Van der Poel said.
Mathieu van der Poel
