🎥 Van Aert, get ready! Van der Poel completes monster training ahead of cyclo-cross return (with Philipsen on his wheel)
Cycling
The big Wout van Aert-Mathieu van der Poel showdown is just around the corner! In Maasmechelen, Belgium, the two cyclo-cross titans will face off again. The reigning world champion isn’t holding back: just before the Belgian World Cup race, Van der Poel completed a monster ride alongside Jasper Philipsen and his loyal training partner Freddy Ovett.
From Ovett's Strava profile, it’s clear that Van der Poel is leaving nothing to chance. He’s going all-in for his seventh cyclo-cross world title, putting in the hard work in Spain. The result? A training session covering over 255 kilometers in 7 hours and 16 minutes. Naturally, the terrain around his training base in Calpe wasn’t flat: the ride included 3,372 meters of climbing. An average speed of over 35 kilometers per hour is highly impressive under these conditions.
Footage of the ride can be seen on the Instagram page of Ovett, who was born in England but represents Australia. In the video, Van der Poel is leading the charge alongside Stefano Museeuw (son of Johan Museeuw), Luke Verburg, and Alpecin teammates Gianni Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian sprinter makes a hand gesture to show just how hard his Dutch teammate is pushing the pace — indeed, Van der Poel is going full throttle. "A joy to ride with such engines," Ovett commented under his video. Previously, a YouTuber experienced firsthand how hard Van der Poel can push, attempting to follow the classics king during a training session.
Read more below the video!
Maasmechelen, Hoogerheide and Liévin: Van der Poel's cyclo-cross schedule
On Saturday, after a four-week break, Van der Poel will return to racing at the Maasmechelen World Cup. His last race was in Besançon, after which the cyclo-cross star took a break due to a rib injury sustained at the Azencross in Loenhout. Following the Belgian World Cup event, he will head to Hoogerheide in the Netherlands, where his final race before the World Championships is scheduled. At Liévin, the 30-year-old superstar will logically be the top favorite for the world title.
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Latest Comments
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024