When Mathieu van der Poel announced his cyclocross program on Friday, there was great interest in which races the Dutchman will contest this season. Equally interesting, however, is which cyclocross races he will skip.
A notable absence from the program is the World Cup cyclocross in Dendermonde, which will take place on December 28. This race falls in the busy period between Christmas and New Year, and often requires many meters of running, making the course an extra tough challenge on the body. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Van der Poel is skipping Dendermonde.
No Diegem for the second year in a row
Another striking cyclocross race that the seven-time world champion will bypass is the Superprestige in Diegem. Van der Poel has already won seven times in this Flemish-Brabant town. Add his victories in the youth categories, and he boasts eleven wins in total. However, like last year, the 30-year-old rider is skipping the evening race this year as well.
For the organizers in Diegem, this is probably a reason for reflection: why does the undisputed star of cyclocross stay away again? It may be related to the fact that the race takes place in the evening, although it could also simply be a coincidence.
