Farewell 2023, hello 2024: What are Van der Poel, Van der Haar and Pieterse doing New Year's Eve?

Best wishes. New Year's resolutions. Fireworks. Champagne. In short, New Year's Eve has come once again. However, it is known that many cyclists live by strict schedules. So is it even possible for them to celebrate a little on a day like December 31st? And what about the day after, when you have to be ready for the New Year's cyclo-cross race in Baal? IDLProCycling.com asked these questions to several of the superstar cyclists of the cyclo-cross world!

Let's start with the main player in the cyclo-cross world these days: Mathieu van der Poel. After his victory in Hulst - where the well-known spitting incident was the main topic - we asked him about his New Year's Eve plans ("what kind of party will it be, Mathieu?"). "It depends a bit on how fun it is, but I'm definitely going to celebrate well at midnight," the top favorite for the race in Baal tells us with a big smile.

Pieterse, like Van der Poel, will celebrate New Year's Eve, Van der Haar skips countdown

While Van der Poel dominates among the men, that honor was initially bestowed upon Fem van Empel among the women. However, her long-time rival Puck Pieterse has recently regained her form. The 21-year-old Fenix-Deceuninck riderr is known for occasionally enjoying a beer (and even shotgunning it) on the podium of a cyclo-cross race. "I actually celebrate New Year's Eve with my regular group of friends every year. They are the friends with whom I train almost every day. It's always fun. And this year, the party is at my place, so it should be great," she was already looking forward to it in Diegem (on December 28th).

Lars van der Haar, then. The Dutch Baloise Trek Lions champion is doing a sort of home race in Baal, considering the background of his sponsor. Therefore, a New Year's Eve party is definitely not in the cards for the amiable cyclist. "I usually don't party on December 31st. Typically, I'm in bed by ten o'clock. I have to get up early and get in the car, so the plan is to get at least seven hours of sleep." When we then ask him about his absolute highlight of 2023, he has to think for a moment. "It's hard to choose, but I'd go for my World Cup victory in Maasmechelen. That was really special." Is Van der Haar the kind of person who makes New Year's resolutions? "No, I'm usually not into that. I just hope we have a great season and can finish well with the team."

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'Double celebration' for Nieuwenhuis, Betsema stays in hotel

In Hulst, Van der Poel was unbeatable, but Joris Nieuwenhuis impressively raced to second place. He hopes to be alert again in Baal, although New Year's Day is important to him in another way too. "It's not that I necessarily go to bed super early on December 31st. Baal is a nice race, but a bit less important for me. Moreover, my girlfriend's birthday is on January 1st, so I obviously need to be there for that!" says the guitarist, nature lover and top cyclo-crosser.

For Denise Betsema, it's been anything but a good season. The 30-year-old rider for Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal started her season late due to a training accident, and never really got into the groove. 'Deniesoverseas' (the social media nickname of the native of Texel in the Netherlands, ed.) on her part cannot really enjoy what is usually one of the most beautiful celebrations of the year for a different reason. "Unfortunately, I'll be in a hotel on December 31st. I live on Texel, and on New Year's Day, the ferry doesn't sail early enough for me to be on time for the race in Baal. That's why New Year's Eve is a bit different for me. I'll also be in bed before midnight!"

For Brand, 2023 was a year full of ups and downs, but optimism prevails

Finally, Lucinda Brand, the Dutch lady who consistently finds herself among the top three women in the race. The figurehead of Sven Nys's team came up with perhaps the most delightful answer. "Oh gosh! These are really the most difficult questions. I should really have prepared for them. We should actually start writing down everything that happens from January 1st onward," she laughs heartily. "The things that happened recently are especially fresh in your memory. But in the spring, I also experienced a lot of great moments!"

"For me, it's been a year with many ups and downs. It certainly hasn't been a stable year for me in terms of sports," she says, referring, for instance, to her lingering shoulder injury. "But I am proud that I was still able to achieve a lot and that I managed to get back to my original level by the end of the year. That's really a highlight. I'm very happy that I managed to do that and that I have that resilience in me." Brand says she has stopped making New Year's resolutions. "I always keep them until January 2nd, and then I'm done. I think you should always work on being the best version of yourself. That's what I try to do, although it might not always work out. There are many things I can do better, but you should be working on them all year round." And what about the midnight moment? "I'll be there for that, since it's not much later than when I normally go to sleep. It won't be a special party for me. Nothing particularly exciting. Fortunately, there are plenty more years to come where I can celebrate more extensively."