Van der Poel confirms he will not compete in the CX World Championships, his recovery could last weeks or months

It was news that could almost be taken for granted for days when Van der Poel's entourage insisted that his recovery period was going to be long. But the Dutchman has just confirmed it, his cyclo-cross season is over and he will not be at the World Championships in the USA.

Mathieu Van der Poel finishes his cyclo-cross season

First it was his father, Adrie van der Poel, and then his team and physiotherapist. Everyone was saying that the only way to solve his back problems was to take an indefinite break, which would mean missing the rest of the cyclo-cross season.

This was again confirmed by Christoph and Philip Roodhooft, co-directors of Alpecin-Fenix: "We want Mathieu to be able to make a full recovery without pressure or deadlines. That's why he won't go to the World Championships in Fayetteville. He is doing what the doctors say and we don't know if the recovery will take weeks or months. The doctors say the swelling in his back will only go down with rest. He will return to running when the injury is completely gone, so we won't put a date on it."

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Van der Poel himself has said:"Because of my back pain I haven’t been able to reach my desired level since Le Tour de France. I just want that to be in the past. The only remedy turns out to be a longer rest period. So it would be foolish to interrupt this period again and still try to make it to the World Championships. We all agree on that. Even though it is very bitter – I have participated in the World CX Championships 10 consecutive times – not being able to defend my title in the States is a real downer. I'm not worried about the future of my career, but of course it frustrates me now not knowing how long this rest period will last. We’ll only set a date and goals if we can do so in a substantiated manner. Until then, I'll do what I can."