Mathieu van der Poel has arrived in Mol for the Zilvermeercross. He did that, just like on Sunday, in his Lamborghini. The Dutchman made a lot of time for his fans and handed out autographs and photos with a smile. The fans clearly appreciated that. On Sunday, Van der Poel won his first cross of the season in Zonhoven with ease. He will certainly want to repeat that feat in Mol.
Before the start of the cross, Van der Poel also had some time for the press. When asked whether there was still room for euphoria, he was clear: “Yes, there is. I still enjoy it. Of course you work towards that a bit, so it's always nice when things turn out well.”
The Dutchman performed very well in Zonhoven and that is also due to the way he trains: “Yes, maybe. I trained a little longer and also walked a lot, so maybe that helped a bit. I rode a course on Zwift two/three times to really go deep, so maybe that all helps.”
Zandcrossen
In Zonhoven, Van der Poel was in the lead from start to finish. The opponents may gradually start to fear the same scenario in Mol, because that is one of Van der Poel's favorite courses. “I like driving through the sand anyway. There is only sand at the location where I have been training for almost 15 years. That is something I have loved to do since I was little, the sand crosses. There aren't that many left, so it's nice to be able to drive here. I can straighten things out in the sand with power, but it's mainly technique and staying on track,” said the Dutchman.
Does he still see challenges today? “It's always a difficult circuit. The recovery section has also become shorter, so you can get back into the sand a little faster. It's going to be a tough cross anyway. That's the thing with sand, if you drive through it well, you can easily gain ten seconds, but if you don't drive through it well you can also lose them.”
