The cyclocross world has been buzzing since Mathieu van der Poel floated the idea that his days in the mud may be numbered. After recent races in Antwerp and Koksijde, the Dutch star spoke candidly about wanting to step away at a high point. Those comments quickly fuelled speculation he could walk away after the upcoming world championships in Hulst, The Netherlands. There, he hopes to break the all-time record of seven elite wins, which he currently shares with Eric De Vlaeminck.
Before the start of the Hofstade race, father Adrie van der Poel offered a somewhat calmer reading of the situation.
“He may well have said those things, but that’s something you reassess next year,” Papa vdP said to In de Leiderstrui. “He hasn’t said he’s done with cyclocross. He’s simply left an opening.”
Has Mathieu van der Poel done it all?
Mathieu explained after Antwerp that there is “not much left to win” in the discipline, adding the next day that stopping remains “an option,” though nothing has been decided. Age, he acknowledged, plays a role in the thinking.
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His father believes context matters. A longer road season — possibly stretching to Il Lombardia — would complicate a full winter of racing. “That wasn’t an issue this year,” he said, “but if you have to rebuild after that, a ‘cross winter becomes much harder.”
The toll of the ‘cross season
There’s also the grind. As a former pro (and world champ, no less) he knows how exhausting the ‘cross season can be. “Those are not half days,” he said. “You warm up early, race, shower, deal with doping control. If he wins, you’re often still there an hour and a half later. You’re home at seven or eight, then it’s straight to the massage table. You can’t just do that three days in a row without paying for it.”
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Mathieu has also mentioned the appeal of spending a quieter winter in Spain. Adrie van der Poel doesn’t know whether skipping cyclocross would make his son better on the road, but says the thought is there. “He’s said it himself — Tadej Pogačar doesn’t race ‘cross and still rides a great spring. And the pressure is always there. The more you win, the closer the first loss feels.”
Looking further ahead, the 2028 worlds in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands loom large. MvdP has said Hulst could be the moment to stop if he wins there, rather than risk a lesser result later.
As for vdP senior, who is involved in organizing Hoogerheide, the stance is simple. “Of course we’d love him to race,” he said. “But if he doesn’t, that’s his choice. I respect that completely.”
Next up for Mathieu van der Poel and the rest of the field is the UCI World Cup in Gavere. Four Canadian elite men will also be there, along with five elite women.