The comeback of Van der Poel: arrival in Lambo, warning from dad, and kind words from his girlfriend and Thibau Nys

Mathieu van der Poel’s return to cyclo-cross on Sunday in Zonhoven was already a success, but after Monday’s race in Mol, it couldn’t have gone any better. The world champion won solo once again, and his whole family showed their support.

There was no doubt about it: during both of those races on Belgian soil, Van der Poel proved the strongest. After surprising himself in Zonhoven, he admitted in Mol that he needed a bit of time to get into the rhythm due to skipping his warm-up. Anyone who saw the pictures of his arrival could understand why. Driving up in his Lamborghini, complete with "MVDP" on the license plate, he was immediately greeted by a crowd of fans. He took his time, posing for photos and signing autographs.

During the race, it became evident just how popular the world champion is, with loud cheers echoing around the course — including from his father, Adrie van der Poel, who was cheering on his son from the sidelines. "I have no obligations today. We’ll just enjoy standing on the sidelines. Sometimes I help in the pit, but the mechanics love doing it so much, so I let them," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

"I hardly ever shout anything anymore," he added. However, during the race, he couldn’t help himself. "There’s a whole bunch of lapped riders ahead of you. Watch out!" fans overheard him yelling. Proud as ever, Adrie received congratulations for his son after the race. "This never gets old, even if your name is Van der Poel. We should be grateful that Mathieu and Wout (van Aert, ed.) still do this because they don’t have to. Try riding through that sand yourself and compare it to how fast guys like Wout and Mathieu go. It’s truly exceptional."

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Girlfriend Roxanne shares sweet photos with Mathieu

Back at home, Van der Poel was also in people’s thoughts on Monday. His girlfriend, Roxanne Bertels, posted a sweet Instagram message directed at her partner late Monday morning. "I love life with you. Thank you, 2024," she wrote, accompanied by photos from the race and their private archive. "On to 2025," Van der Poel replied, adding a heart emoji.

Roxanne wasn’t the only one tagging Van der Poel on social media. After his win in Zonhoven on Sunday, Thibau Nys also dug into the archives. Despite finishing a distant second to the European champion, Nys shared a throwback photo of the two from their youth, humorously hinting at why the gap between them remains so large.

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