José De Cauwer is a cycling animal through and through and crossed over to Benidorm for the World Cup cyclo-cross for Proximus. He noted on the spot how the Spanish cyclo-cross still has “a lot of potential” even after the second edition and how we should not draw conclusions too quickly from the fiery Mathieu van der Poel.
Benidorm welcomed the riders yesterday for the second year in a row and just like last year, the Spanish outing was well received.
“This cross has potential,” nodded José De Cauwer this afternoon at a Spanish airport.
“There is still a bit of work to optimize everything, especially for safety. Then I think about protecting the inner bends.”
“But everything was well organized and the catering had also improved. Everyone could eat and drink,” the analyst winks about his traditional hobbyhorse.
The fans – including many Spaniards – were extremely enthusiastic. “You also saw a different audience here than with us during the Christmas period. In those crosses things can sometimes get out of hand, but not here.”
You could adjust such a lightning-fast circuit a bit, but it was difficult enough, you know. And of course you cannot change that hard surface.
Joseph De Cauwer
Opinions are divided about the course. The flying meeting is rather an exception on the calendar and encounters some opposition left and right.
“You can still tinker with it and that is a matter of evolving. Above all, it has potential for the public and that is the most important thing.”
“What if you had said 5 years ago that you would like to race abroad during this period with the top riders who are on training courses here?”
“It shouldn’t cost too much energy for them and then you end up in this region. It was a big deal.”
“You could adjust such a lightning-fast course a bit, but it was difficult enough, you know. And of course you can’t change that hard surface.”
Champs-Elysées
Mathieu van der Poel was beaten back by bad luck in the beginning and then made several devastating moves on a sloping stretch.
“Fantastic,” José De Cauwer still remembers. “That first gear was especially impressive, because then he had already come back after those chain problems.”
“I talked about it with Thijs Aerts, a rider who saw it up close. “That was not normal,” he said.”
“It was also captured so beautifully with that drone. As if you were sprinting on the Champs-Elysées. You really experienced it.”
How Van der Poel almost handed his opponents a cold does the best – or the worst for his competition? – suspicion on the road for spring.
De Cauwer tempers it: “Mathieu is the best cross rider this winter. He is not interested in that series of victories, only the World Championship.”
“I was just talking about it with Adrie van der Poel and he also said this could be the best Mathieu, but that doesn’t mean he will just win all the classics, right? Those races are a different story.”
Wout van Aert will welcome the victory with open arms, but like the rest, he is mature enough to put everything in the right context.
Joseph De Cauwer
Not to forget: the winner in Benidorm was ultimately Wout van Aert. “He will welcome that with open arms and that is good for confidence, but he also knows how it happened.”
“It is neither more nor less than that. Wout is smart enough to know where he stands. These men are adults and put everything in the right context.”
“Just like we were talking about that Mathieu series and 14 in a row. But believe me, he really doesn’t lose sleep over that.”
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