On his 30th birthday, Van der Poel is in Spain, but not in Benidorm: Alpecin's star completes intense training

Mathieu van der Poel is waiting another week to make his comeback in the field. While Wout van Aert competes in the World Cup of Benidorm, the world champion will not ride another race until Maasmechelen. And so the rider of Alpecin-Deceuninckis is still training hard: with his regular training buddy Freddy Ovett, he registered a long, hard ride.

Van der Poel is currently staying in Dénia, near Calpe, in the province of Alicante. It is an excellent training paradise for cyclists in the winter, and Van der Poel also takes advantage of the perfect weather and beautiful scenery in the south of Spain. The cyclo-cross king rode a fine 180-kilometer training lap that his training buddy Ovett posted on Strava It certainly wasn't easy because, in that (relatively) short ride, the Dutch rider covered over 3,200 altimeters. With a total exercise duration of 5 hours and 42 minutes, he was good for an average of nearly 32 kilometers per hour.

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Birthday boy Van der Poel sets his sights on World Cup in Liévin

Whether he plans for a ride like this on Sunday is doubtful, as Van der Poel celebrates his 30th birthday on January 19. The all-rounder doesn't seem the type to dwell on the milestone: before the age of 30, he already had an incredible record. This winter, he can match Erik De Vlaeminck's record of having the most cyclo-cross world titles (seven). On the road, he has also won a world title and six monuments, including the Tour of Flanders three times.

So, although he will not celebrate his birthday in the field in Benidorm, he will start next week in Maasmechelen, Belgium. There awaits another confrontation with Wout van Aert, who, like Van der Poel, will also be at the start in Hoogerheide a day later. It will be a nice test because a week later, the cyclo-cross world championships are heading to Liévin: Van der Poel's big goal.

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