Van der Poel signals Van Aert and Pidcock through new show of power: "Know I can still do better"

In the very first round, Van der Poel gained a small gap on Van Aert. It was a different scene than the one we saw in Antwerp and Mol, where the world champion waited before making his decisive breakaway. Van der Poel had already decided beforehand that he would approach things differently in Gavere. "Here it is very difficult to hold the wheel and to follow someone else's pace, because then you make too many mistakes. The race was incredibly tough, and the mud got stickier and stickier each round, making it harder to find good lines and maintain tempo." Van der Poel then created the definitive gap in the third round.

Towards the end of the race, Van der Poel slowed down a bit, which reduced his lead. "It made no sense to take unnecessary risks, and because the course was very difficult to ride, I held back a bit. There were very deep tracks formed, and that made it hard to keep riding the same lines. It was also the first time for me this season that we rode in really deep mud, which made it extra tough."

The fact that the gap with Van Aert didn't widen was not only due to the Dutchman's slowing down. He actually praises his competitor. "Wout kept up a strong pace in the chase, so I really had to keep riding. I definitely notice that he is getting better and better, I feel it in the pace I have to maintain to create the gap. It was also really nice that there was such a large crowd of spectators. That's great to see."

For now, the world champion continues to string victories together. There's even talk of a one hundred percent success rate this season. Van der Poel doesn't want to think too much about that yet. "It's definitely not a goal for me, and I'm not really focused on it. Cyclo-cross is a lot of fun, but it's no longer my primary goal of the year. I won't lose sleep if I don't win a race."

For the time being, it seems quite easy for Van der Poel, who is not yet in peak form. Far from it. "I'm not worried that it's going too easily at the moment. We're just following our planned build-up, and we know I can do better than this. This is not my peak condition. There's a logical progression to what I do." With that, he sends a clear signal to Van Aert and Pidcock, but: "I don't think it's terrible for my competitors!"