Mathieu van der Poel is back in cyclocross, and that is immediately evident from the public interest. The Namur World Cup will today for the first time surpass the milestone of ten thousand spectators.
"It certainly looks that way," says Erwin Vervecken on behalf of organizer Golazo to Het Nieuwsblad. "Since Mathieu confirmed that he will start on Sunday, ticket presales have gone through the roof. To the extent that, last Thursday, we had already sold 2,500 more tickets than the previous year. And with 9,644 paying spectators then, we were already close to surpassing the ten-thousand mark."
What does Vervecken, himself a three-time cyclocross world champion, expect from the Dutchman’s return? "In the last ten seasons, he has only failed to win his opening race once (in 2021 he finished second behind Wout van Aert at the Dendermonde World Cup, ed.). And even then it was because he was struggling. Other than that, he always wins, and always with panache."
"Moreover, he finds in Namur a fair course where—with his big engine—he will always find his way. At the same time, he doesn’t choose the easiest route in Namur. It’s no coincidence that he has stayed away in recent years. You would think that steep slope would suit him, but apparently he has a love-hate relationship with it."
Van der Poel versus Nys?
Vervecken is hoping for an exciting battle. "I am curious to find out where a strong Thibau Nys stands compared to Mathieu. As a cyclocross fan, I want to know how the current balance of power is between Mathieu and Thibau. But from everything I can gather, Mathieu is hungry. And it’s usually hard to beat a hungry Mathieu."
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup - Namur
