"It's a girl!" Van der Poel discusses his victory salute in Hoogerheide, supercompensation for the World Championships and his potential retirement

Mathieu van der Poel seemed impressively strong on Sunday in Hoogerheide, but the world champion admitted he wasn't entirely at his best. IDLProCycling.com was present all day in North Brabant for MVDP's latest victory!

Let's briefly revisit Hamme, where just a day earlier, the 29-year-old Dutchman had secured a win. In East Flanders, Van der Poel was not in his prime condition, still affected by rib pain from his fall in Benidorm and feeling a bit weary. Nonetheless, he managed to celebrate another victory. He even shared, just two hours before the start of the last World Cup race, that he was still feeling some discomfort.

Talking about the GP Adrie van der Poel, a race close to his heart, Van der Poel shared his thoughts. "I always enjoy racing in Hoogerheide. It's near my home, and I like the course, although it has undergone several changes over the years. The weather here often plays a crucial role. This year, the course is quite fast, except for a few sections," he reflected during the preview.

Van der Poel was not preoccupied with the world championships yet in Hoogerheide

Was Van der Poel in Hoogerheide already focused on the World Championships? Not necessarily, it seemed. "I just followed the schedule during the training camp. In Spain, I managed to complete the work I had to do. It was quite a tough program, partly because we also trained towards the spring season." He was also clear about the 'fact' that the Dutch race was seen as a sort of dress rehearsal for the World Championships. "We'll see how it goes, but at the World Championships, it's starting from scratch again. In the past, I've had both very good and very bad performances in the weekends leading up to the World Championships. There's never really been a guarantee of success in the following week. So, I'm able to let that go."

So, the focus was 'simply' on Hoogerheide, where Van der Poel would eventually cross the finish line solo after an entertaining race. Like on Saturday in Hamme, Van der Poel spoke in the flash interview afterwards about not having the freshest legs. "Winning is always nice, of course, and it's great when you have to fight for it and ride tactically. I felt a bit the same as in Hamme. I was good, but had to do it in a slightly different way," laughed Van der Poel, who then had to explain that a bit. "I feel good, but after an attack, I didn't feel as fresh as the rest of the season. That's normal and actually a good sign that I've trained enough."

Rethinking, because for Van der Poel, fresh legs in Hoogerheide were not important. He wants to be at his peak in a week at the World Championships in Tabor. "Last year I had one race before the World Championships, now two in a row. A slightly different approach, but I felt okay and with enough rest, I hope to have my best legs of the season at the World Championships." In Hoogerheide, he eventually needed just two key efforts. "The first attempt was a bit too short, the second time I pushed through past the barriers and had a good gap. I feel that I get fatigued quickly, with the training I still had in my legs. Everyone does their own thing and I'm probably not the only one who didn't start with the freshest legs here. A week before a championship, you try to work towards supercompensation."

Read more below the tweet!

Van der Poel reveals meaning behind victory gesture and discusses his retirement again... 

After the ceremonial formalities, Van der Poel returns to the cycling press to answer some widely varying questions. "The week before is not a real reference point for the World Championships. I've ridden both very well and very poorly in the week leading up to the Championships," he reiterates, referring to the 'dress rehearsal'. "I'm confident that I've approached it well with an eye on Tabor." Will we see the very best Van der Poel in the Czech Republic? "If I've done my things correctly, that should be the case. I've had a very good winter, but we've tried to bring out the best version of myself next week. However, that's what everyone starting there does."

At first glance, the chances seem slim that Van der Poel will let a new world title slip through his fingers, but you never know. If that happens, how would he view his cyclo-cross season? "Things can always go wrong, but that really shouldn't happen. If I don't win next week, I won't call it a successful winter," he says sternly. Not surprising, since the World Championships have been the sole cyclo-cross goal for several winters. "The other races are nice, but they're no longer goals. The coming years will still be fun, but I can see myself spending a winter in Spain. Especially the rest would be an added value. Cyclo-cross is quite a task for the ‘mind’, it's always very busy at the races, a lot is expected. Being able to train calmly occasionally would also be nice. Not racing next year? In itself, it would be nice: becoming world champion in Tabor for the first time and the last time. But I'm not sure yet, I haven't made a decision. As long as I enjoy it, I'll keep doing it, but it has to make sense."

Finally, in Hoogerheide, not far from his Belgian residence, Van der Poel crossed the finish line with a somewhat remarkable victory gesture. According to the worldwide web, the gesture is known as the 'OK' gesture. You know, the smiley that often appears on WhatsApp and Messenger (👌🏻). Van der Poel's race was more than OK, but that wasn't the point. "That was a gender reveal for my nephew. I had the honor of announcing the gender," explains the all-rounder from Alpecin-Deceuninck. "I had to do that if it was a girl, and give a thumbs up if it was a boy." So, it seems that a girl is expected in the family of Rob van Broekhoven - who was recently interviewed by IDLProCycling.com!