All week long, fans, riders, and media have been talking about the highly anticipated first duel between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, but to be honest, that never really happened. Already in the first round of the World Cup in Antwerp, it became clear that the world champion would stand out. Are we now in for a very one-sided winter?
A 'vulnerable' Van der Poel according to analysts at his first race in Namur, just a week later he is the embodiment of dominance. "It was a different course, and a different scenario than last week," Van der Poel said afterward. "I also had a slightly better start at the beginning. So I immediately took the initiative in the sand, where it’s easier to lead than on a hilly course like Namur."
Van der Poel saw a second reason for his stronger performance. "The race in Namur was added 'last minute' to my schedule, and I felt it. We hadn’t changed the training plan leading up to that race. If I had rested both last week and this week, I would have lost two weeks in my road season preparation. My coach wasn’t really keen on that. He agreed that I could race in Namur, but I had to keep training during the week," grinned the seven-time world champion.
"That made me feel much fresher in training last week. And even during the race itself, I felt better—I never felt like I had to push myself beyond my limit and was very happy with the pace I could maintain. Overall, it’s a combination of circumstances why it went better than last weekend."
No duel for now
Is this going to be the picture for the entire winter? "No, I don’t think so. Every race has to be contested anew. Anyway, the gaps between us will always change somewhat. There are some similar sand courses coming up, in Koksijde and Hofstade. On the other hand, without that flat tire, it might have been a different story already. We’ll just have to wait and see."
Van der Poel won dominantly in Antwerp - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
For his rivals, that must not be an easy message. "You always have to keep believing," says Van der Poel. "I’ve also had winters where I couldn’t do anything against Wout. Then you just try to keep believing every race that maybe it will work out sometime. It’s a bit like when I race Tadej Pogačar on the road. You keep nurturing that hope."
Wout, of course, is Wout van Aert, who in Antwerp faced Van der Poel for the 200th time in his career. Only, the Kempen rider was not in contention. "His flat tire probably contributed a bit to that. That’s the only thing I heard about his race. We’ll see in the coming weeks if he will be up front, but I know our duels are something special. It’s also thanks to Wout that 14,000 people came to watch."
World Championships in Hulst
In any case, Van der Poel currently clearly holds the reins in cyclocross. He already indicated that his buildup to the World Championships in Hulst will be a bit more gradual than last season, when he found himself in top form too early. "But that Worlds is still very far away, of course. I have confidence in the good plan we have made, and hopefully, we can execute it that way," said the world champion.
Could that Worlds also be a farewell to cyclocross? It’s something Van der Poel has hinted at several times in the past. "It would be very special to claim the record for most world titles on home soil in Hulst. I can’t keep racing cyclocross forever, so it has to end someday. I’ve always said I hope to finish on a high note, both on the road and in cyclocross. We’ll see, who knows."
Mathieu van der Poel
