The Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel advances as a huge favorite for the cyclo-cross world championships which take place at home in the Netherlands in Hulst on Sunday February 1st.
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Twelve victories in twelve races contested. Who says better? Mathieu van der Poel, reigning world champion, didn’t give up when he took the start of a cyclo-cross this season. He once again dominated the discipline in an almost insolent way. No matter the terrain, he tames it without difficulty. He and his bike are one. The son far surpassed the father, Adrie van der Poel, cyclo-cross world champion in 1996 in Montreuil in the Paris suburbs.
The wheel spins in the mud, the cold, he was always immersed in it. Long before establishing himself as a great road cyclist, Mathieu Van der Poel learned his lessons in the undergrowth.
The youngest cyclo-cross world champion
At age 20, he became the youngest cyclo-cross world champion. Since then, he has also given himself the rainbow tunic on road and in gravel. In modern cycling, most riders have chosen their discipline, he wants to play on all fronts. He even dreams of a mountain bike title.
In the meantime, Sunday February 1 in Hulst, the Dutch will have additional motivation. In the southwest of the Netherlands, he could become the only record holder for victories at the World Cup with eight successes, surpassing the Belgian Eric De Vlaeminck.
And for the moment, no one sees who could destabilize the cyclo-cross star. Almost everyone knows that gold will be within reach of no one other than Raymond Poulidor’s grandson, and that the rest of the pack will be there for silver and bronze. Mathieu van der Poel’s first coronation dates back to 2015. A lease.
« He is out of the norm »
During this cyclo-cross season, Mathieu Van der Poel won the World Cup for the second time in his career. Of the twelve rounds, he competed in seven, all of which he won. His statistics panic followers: he has won nineteen of the last twenty World Cup stages in which he has participated. Isolating himself very quickly and leading the entire race remains his trademark.
« He is out of the norm “, former French professional cyclist Francis Mourey, a cyclo-cross specialist, immediately told RFI. “ The power it develops makes the difference compared to the others and its handling too. We are lucky to have in one person all the qualities we need to shine in cyclo-cross », explains the man who won nine French championship titles and who climbed to the third step of a World Championship. For Francis Mourey, Mathieu Van der Poel had all the potential to become the best, and “ he knew how to work to be at the top of the bill ».
Precise in his trajectories and powerful on the embankments, all that remains for Mathieu Van der Poel is the icing on the cake to conclude this cyclo-cross season, before setting off on the road to chase down the classics next spring.
