The cyclocross resigns with Van der Poel: "Now we compete for second place"

The full set of victories that Mathieu van der Poel achieved in the last cyclocross season represents a significant downturn for his rivals ahead of the Dutchman's return to competition next weekend at the World Cup in Namur.

Mathieu van der Poel's debut in cyclocross changes the goals of the usual competitors in the discipline

It must be frustrating to be one of the big stars in a discipline like cyclocross and know that, starting from the next race, the chance of victory practically disappears. And although Mathieu van der Poel's appearances in the mud are becoming fewer, the reality is that the Alpecin-Deceuninck cyclist does not seem to have lost an ounce of his skill on the bike, and the level of physical form he already has at this time of year, still preseason for a cyclist fully focused on the road, is likely sufficient to beat the best mud specialists in a one-hour effort.

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Toon Aerts expressed with stark realism the feeling of the situation to the Belgian media, "He may not even be the best version of himself in cyclocross, because he has hardly trained in this discipline. But that doesn't matter. We know that from here to the World Championship, we will be fighting for second place. I'm not getting my hopes up about it."

Similarly, Lars van der Haar stated, "If you look at history, you know that victories end with Van der Poel's arrival. Namur may be the hardest for him, but after that, it's over."

Van der Haar refers to the great toughness that the Namur circuit always presents, with significant slopes and a terrain that is always extremely slippery with sticky mud, which could complicate things for a newcomer like Mathieu van der Poel. However, for Toon Aerts, it is also a circuit where the Dutchman can impose his law, "That uphill start in Namur suits him well. He can definitely go out there. I hope he launches his attack quickly and takes off. But, in principle, it's not necessary. He can wait a bit. With the challenging course and the elevation, there are many points where he can make a difference. After all those hours of training in Spain, he will undoubtedly have good rhythm in his legs."

This is an acknowledgment of Van der Poel's manifest superiority, which leads the other specialists to compete directly as if he were not in the race. Without even attempting to follow Mathieu's attack when it comes, they focus on running their own race, aiming for second place and continuing to accumulate as many points as possible with an eye on the overall classification.

This season we might have an incentive with the rise in level shown by Thibau Nys, who is called to be the great dominator of cyclocross in the coming years, following in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Sven Nys. Currently the leader of the World Cup, Nys has won two of the three races held in this competition with total ease, skipping the one held last weekend in Sardinia to rest, train, and arrive at the Christmas campaign in optimal shape. We will have to wait until next Sunday to see if the Belgian can face the whirlwind that is Van der Poel.