Mathieu van der Poel is back, and he made his presence known. The Dutch cyclo-cross racer had a strong start in Herentals, leading the group into the field and soon after breaking away solo, leaving the pack behind. He maintained his lead to the finish line, securing his 150th pro victory in cyclo-cross.
"It went pretty well at the start," Van der Poel reflected in the post-race interview. "I found myself alone quite quickly and had a nice lead. After that, I rode solo for a long time," the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider recalled his one-man show.
Still coughing and sweating, the world champion on the road and in cyclo-cross described his thoughts on the race. "I felt quite strong. I knew that the ski hill would be the toughest part of the course. I felt good, so I got into a good rhythm quickly and set my own pace soon after."
The competition could only keep up with Van der Poel for a few minutes. Therefore, there was no real tension in Herentals. Boring? According to the winner himself, it was anything but. "Definitely not boring. I enjoyed it. There was a where I lost focus, but it was fun. I've trained hard for this."
In recent weeks, numerous reports and images have emerged showing Van der Poel in his cyclo-cross form. "I've trained hard for this. I do my thing in the races. And it certainly won't always be like today. There are tough races coming up during the Christmas period."
Van der Poel is set to start another cyclo-cross race on Friday, December 22nd. The following day in Antwerp, he will face Wout van Aert for the first time this season. Tom Pidcock will also be participating.