Philip Roodhooft sees a 'completely different' Mathieu van der Poel than at first world title in 2015
Mathieu van der Poel crowned himself world cyclocross champion for the eighth time on Sunday. Throughout all those years, he raced for the Alpecin-Premier Tech team and its predecessors. Unique, says team manager Philip Roodhooft.
"Eight is already unique, and then eight titles for the same team, with the evolution that has taken place within the team... When you consider all these things together, it won’t get much better," stated Roodhooft, who witnessed Van der Poel’s development from his first title (Tábor, 2015) to the rider he is today in 2026. "A young man has become a man. That is clear in every aspect. If you look at the photos of the athlete he was in 2015, that's a completely different person."
"But also the way he handles it, how he approaches race day, deals with the pressure – that is totally different. But that’s understandable. Everyone evolves between the ages of nineteen and thirty-one."
Level
Does Van der Poel nowadays – now that cycling has become even more professional than in his early days – have to work even harder to perform at this top level? "Well, I think Mathieu anyway works harder every year and can work harder, because as an athlete he only continues to get stronger."
"But I don’t think the increased level plays such a big role in cyclocross. The dominance with which he wins races and world championships has only grown in recent years. Around 2019, there was still a real duel, but in recent years, and today as well, he rides away from the start."
