Mathieu van der Poel enjoyed his comeback in cyclocross on Sunday. The four-time world champion was the best in Hulst in his first cross in almost a year.
“It is very gratifying to win again. It is very nice to be back,” Van der Poel said afterwards to the NOS. The 27-year-old Dutchman noticed that there is still room for improvement.
“Technically it was very bad. I made way too many mistakes, but that was to be expected. I’ve been on the cyclocross bike very little and it was a pretty difficult course right away,” he said.
“I can be very satisfied with the condition again. I prefer it that way rather than the other way around. I was already among the first after half a lap, that was also nice. I had a great time.”
Van der Poel last played at the end of December. Due to a back injury, he had to miss a large part of the cyclo-cross season. He missed the World Cup, among other things.
Van der Poel’s next cyclocross race is Saturday in Boom, Belgium. He is working towards the World Cup, which will be held in Hoogerheide on February 5.
