Van der Poel ‘slows’ the cyclocross build to go further this winter

Mathieu van der Poel is deliberately approaching this cyclocross winter differently — and he knows it shows. The Alpecin–Deceuninck star has adjusted his preparation. He is opting for a later and calmer build-up rather than chasing top form from the outset.

“Last year I was just a little further,” Van der Poel said after winning in Namur. “Then I had trained a little more specifically. This year we planned it a little later.” The shift, he explained to WielerFlits, was entirely intentional.

Last winter, Van der Poel felt he peaked too early, both in training and in the opening races. “I had the feeling that I was just a little too good too quickly,” he said. While that brought early results, it left him with limited room to grow as the season progressed. “I felt that I hadn’t improved much more towards the world championships,” he added.

This time, the focus is on long-term gains. Van der Poel admits there are still steps to take, particularly in race effort. “Especially the effort has to be better,” he said. “I think the technical will come naturally.”

By dialing back the specificity early on, Van der Poel is betting that patience now will translate into a higher ceiling later in the winter. And remember, the Dutchman is trying to break the all-time record for elite men’s rainbow jerseys early next year.

In the women’s race at Namur, Lucinda Brand extended her dominant season with a tenth World Cup win. She finished ahead of series leader Aniek van Alphen. Puck Pieterse made a strong season debut, moving up to fourth and chasing a podium battle with Amandine Fouquenet, who finished third. Brand led from early on and never looked back, while Pieterse held within striking distance but couldn’t catch Fouquenet.

Canadian CX riders head to Belgium for Christmas Cross

Top Canadians included Sidney McGill in 21st, Maghalie Rochette 23rd, and Dorothee Perron 46th. The series continues next weekend in Antwerp and Koksijde.

Soon though–Christmas, and ‘cross is coming. Which means a whole whack of Canadians are coming to race in Belgium.