Van der Poel faces a tough choice: "It’s not unthinkable that new big guns are coming to Flanders"

In recent seasons, we’ve seen Mathieu van der Poel tackle numerous cyclo-cross races over the winter. However, there’s still a big question mark over his participation in the upcoming cross season. His team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, isn’t pressuring the multi-time world champion to take on a heavy cross schedule.

That’s according to team manager Philip Roodhooft, who spoke with HLN. Despite this, there’s a good chance we’ll still see the cyclo-cross world champion in a handful of races. “That’s also my personal feeling. In a cross season, there are still a few key events—and not to mention the World Championships—that remain of interest to him,” Roodhooft said, without specifying what those other key events might be.

The Cyclo-cross World Championship is certainly important. “He’s won six World Championships, and the record is seven. What do you think?” Roodhooft doesn’t shy away from the topic. The record of seven world titles belongs to Eric De Vlaeminck. However, Roodhooft is vague about whether Van der Poel is aiming for this record. “That’s a question you’d have to ask him, but his career won’t last another ten years. He won’t pass up things he can achieve and that have meaning, but there must always be room.”

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"Needs to be at one hundred percent to compete against Pogacar"

The upcoming World Championships will take place on February 2 in Liévin, France. For Van der Poel, deciding whether to participate in the World Championships is always a tough choice. The date of the global title fight is close to the spring classics on the road, which are also a major target for the multi-time spring monument winner. According to Roodhooft, the spring classics remain the main focus. Additionally, he notes that the competition is steadily increasing.

“Mathieu’s primary goals are in the spring, and the same goes for us. Alpecin-Deceuninck is a full-fledged WorldTour team. Our sponsors primarily want us to perform in the spring and the grand tours. It’s not unthinkable that new big guns will head to the Tour of Flanders in spring 2025,” says Roodhooft. There's also the constant threat of current cycling king Tadej Pogacar, who enjoys competing in some spring races. “And Mathieu knows he needs to be at 100% to compete against guys like Pogacar. Cyclo-cross shouldn’t affect his spring classics. It’s a tough balance to strike…”

Roodhooft also addresses criticism that Van der Poel races too few days; this year, he had 41 race days on the road, half of which were in the Tour de France. “I sometimes hear that Mathieu doesn’t race enough, but if you look purely at the 2024 calendar year, few riders deliver consistently and on schedule like he does. Of course, you have Pogacar, but there are other riders who shape their whole season around the Tour, then still say that fourteen stages aren’t suited for them. We have no complaints about Mathieu’s availability. He’s won two World Championships and two Monuments this year alone,” Alpecin-Deceuninck is more than satisfied with their golden boy.

The 2025 program promises to be another hefty puzzle

While the road season clearly takes priority over cyclo-cross, Roodhooft would, of course, love to see Van der Poel active in cyclo-cross as well. He points out that they have multiple strong riders for the cross season. “A few cross races would be nice. We’ve already won twenty Cyclo-cross World Championships. Naturally, we’d like to expand that list, and someone like Van der Poel can help. But—and I emphasize but—we won’t force him. Our cyclo-cross season doesn’t hinge on Mathieu. Niels Vandeputte won in Brumath, France, last week. I’m looking forward to being at the cross race in Beringen on Saturday.”

Van der Poel’s schedule for 2025 looks to be another big puzzle. After claiming his first Gravel World Championship title in style, he has already expressed interest in the mountain bike world title, which is currently missing from his impressive list of achievements. Given that the 2025 World Championships in Kigali will likely be too challenging for him, this may open the door for him to focus on mountain biking.