Mathieu van der Poel, imperial, continues his muddy harvest in cyclo-cross, one week before the Worlds in France

His rainbow jersey was smeared with mud, like his face, making it difficult at times
to identify. But on Sunday January 25, in Hoogerheide (Netherlands), it was Mathieu van der Poel who won the final round of the Cyclo-cross World Cup on the circuit designed by his father, Adrie. A resounding success like the start of the season for the Dutch champion, who won the seven stages in which he started. As in Zonhoven, Mol, Gavere, Loenhout (Belgium), Besançon and Maasmechelen (Belgium) – Saturday, ahead of his great rival Wout Van Aert – the double reigning world champion in the discipline flew through the debates, bending the race in less than one turn (out of seven).

Showing off his biceps as he crossed the finish line, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor was definitely reassured about his state of form, one week before the cyclo-cross world championships in Liévin (North).

Already crowned six times, the cyclist from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team had made a seventh coronation one of the objectives of his season, in order to equal the record of the Belgian Eric De Vlaeminck. But the 29-year-old runner was unable to compete in the twelve races he had set for his busy schedule – before switching to the road, where he also has big goals. Injured during a collision with a pole at the end of 2024 in Loenhout (Belgium), he was forced to interrupt his season for almost three weeks.

On Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel revealed he was suffering from a broken rib. “I’m not 100% yet, but my broken rib doesn’t hurt too much anymore”he explained before setting off on Sunday. If he was not in his optimal form, the Dutchman who collects rainbows – in addition to his numerous cyclo-cross coronations, he was road world champion in 2023, and also titled last year in gravel – didn't need to force it to disgust the competition. After racing in the lead on the muddy terrain of the event organized by his father, he relegated his closest follower, the Belgian Michael Vanthourenhout, to almost two minutes (1.42 min). The latter, however, consoled himself by winning the general classification of the World Cup.

In a week, in Liévin, Mathieu van der Poel will undoubtedly be favorite to win a seventh cyclo-cross world title. On Sunday, in front of his audience, the Dutchman allowed himself a goat jump – on his bike – while crossing a bridge, one day after celebrating his success in Maasmechelen by reproducing the victory gesture of the Belgian champion Remco Evenepoel, a phone that is hung up. “Remco asked me for it as a birthday present”said Van der Poel, smiling. On the plowed roads, on the other hand, the intractable cyclist does not do his opponents any favors.