Mathieu van der Poel will have to miss today in Baal. The pain in his ribs, an unpleasant aftermath of his crash in Loenhout, leaves him no other choice. The question remains whether he can return to action on Friday in Koksijde.
“Unfortunately, 2025 is not starting as we had hoped. World champion Mathieu van der Poel will not participate in the X2O Trophy in Baal today,” Alpecin-Deceuninck, Van der Poel’s team, shared on its channels.
“Mathieu has a lot of pain in his ribs, a permanent consequence of his crash in Loenhout in which he hit a post. The discomfort has worsened in recent days and after consultation with the medical team this morning, Mathieu has made the difficult decision to withdraw from today’s match.
The match in Koksijde the day after tomorrow/Friday is also in jeopardy for the Dutchman.
Previously Van der Haar & Vanthourenhout
Van der Poel is not the only one who is forced to pass for Baal. Michael Vanthourenhout and Lars van der Haar also threw in the towel earlier.
(Read more below photo)
© BELGIUM
The 33-year-old Dutchman is suffering from a knee problem and reported on Tuesday that he wants to rest the joint. The Superprestige Cross in Gullegem (Saturday) and the World Cup Cross in Dendermonde (Sunday) are on his program again.
Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) previously canceled for Baal due to illness. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) thus gets the opportunity to significantly strengthen his leading position in the X2O Bathrooms Trophy. Van der Haar is second in that ranking at 41 seconds, Vanthourenhout third at 2:12.
© BELGIUM
