Mathieu van der Poel makes one remarkable observation after show in Zonhoven: "I can't achieve that on the road"

76 seconds: that's how long Mathieu van der Poel managed to keep the cyclo-cross of Zonhoven exciting during his comeback. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck blasted out of the starting blocks from the third row and then plunged into the famous pit, the last time his competitors saw him in the race. He recounted his story to IDLProCycling.com and others. "I didn't expect this either."

For the first time since February, Van der Poel returned to his beloved cyclo-cross world, which he talked about after his recon. "I only use the cyclo-cross bike twice, so I did a quick extra lap to gain that feeling a little more," laughed the Dutch rider, who, along with Thibau Nys, only exited the course just before the women's race. "That it is more difficult is only suitable for me. I would have looked at it differently in the past, but now I prefer that."

"I feel like I'm a lot less prepared than last year when I worked toward the first cyclo-cross races," VDP indicated before the start. "This year, we decided to do things differently so I could peak towards the World Cup. Last year, I felt that the World Cup was not my best race. I'm committed to the World Cup because otherwise, I wouldn't be here. That's the only thing left to accomplish, so I want to be the best version of myself at the World Cup. So I've indicated that within the team, and that's also why I won't compete in Benidorm."

Why exactly was it Zonhoven where he returned and not, for example, Hulst? There was no point in making things more complicated than they were. "I looked at when I wanted to start and then decided to compete in some cyclo-cross races because it seemed like the best option for us. I trained nicely during my training camp in Spain and am happy with the hours I put in there. But with that base, I still need to ride some races to get into it, and that's the goal." And above all, "It's nice to be back and chasing through the woods."

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Van der Poel felt good right away

Well, about the race then. We can be more than short about that, just as long as Van der Poel kept it exciting eventually. "I'm more than on track," the star rider concluded in his flash interview. "I didn't expect this myself. I think a demanding cross like this is to my advantage, though. It's a very tough race, where I could just ride my own pace from the beginning. I'm pleased with the feeling."

From starting row three, he blasted to the front like a comet. "I wasn't worried about my starting position. I was off to a good start. Initially, you can't do much when you're in the group. But in the last left turn, I made a mistake before we went to the pit. But I came out of the mud better than the rest, and I had the right track right away," said Van der Poel, who could maintain that consistently. "If you ride alone, you can arrange it all yourself and choose the right line, so I could also catch my breath before the technical part, then you make fewer mistakes."

With that, he made a clear statement in his first cyclo-cross race of the season, during which he will complete 11 races. "But there's only one I want to win," he refers to the World Cup in Lievin in early February. So, the road to that has begun. "It also went well when I jumped on the cyclo-cross bike this week. The effort is a little different, but still. Whether it is based on talent? I'll have some talent to do cyclo-cross anyway, haha."

"I don't know why, but my first race is always good too," Van der Poel asks himself. "I don't achieve that on the road, but here I do. Still special," he observes. "My first race on the road is often more difficult, but it's also true: I wouldn't dare go to the Ronde van Vlaanderen without competing in cyclo-cross. Now I felt good, though."

"I don't plan to ride around like this all Christmas," continued Van der Poel, who starts again in Mol on Monday. "I enjoyed the race in itself and the pace I have because I rode as hard as I could for at least an hour. That is also good for the spring. If the team had said it would be better not to participate, I wouldn't be here now. I want to come out of the Christmas period as fresh as possible, which is also important for the spring." He concludes. "My program is also set up for that."

Lukáš Ronald Lukács

@lucasaganronald

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Enjoy the start of MVDP from the third line to the first place. 🥰 #CXWorldCup

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