Van der Poel surprises with a remark about his form and does have really bad news for his Strava followers!

Mathieu van der Poel is heading back to the Spanish sun with a perfect score of ten out of ten. On Sunday in Zonhoven, he recorded his tenth victory of this winter, by riding away from the rest just like in all his other victories. He also made his last appearance in the mixed zone in a freezing Zonhoven. For the time being, that is, because in two weeks he will be back in the field in Benidorm. During three weeks in Spain, the Dutch world champion wants to increase his form for both cyclo-cross and road racing.

"I am very happy with how the first part of my cross season has gone," Van der Poel says with a sense of understatement in the flash interview, just after his tenth victory. In it, he followed others closely for half the cross, before he accelerated and wasn't seen again. "I wanted to see how the race would develop, and Joris Nieuwenhuis was also riding at a good pace. So I was quite happy in second place for a while. Besides, it was really cold for the first time. It took a while for me to find my rhythm. All in all, it was a tough race, and I didn't want to waste too much energy today. It's always nice to win, and I felt pretty good too."

Nevertheless, Van der Poel will be glad that he could relax a bit in the final phase. He's quickly boarding the plane and wants to get to work on his road bike from day one in Spain. "I am happy to start a training block," he says adamantly. He has a clear plan, and in cyclo-cross, the finish line for that is in Tabor, Czech Republic, in the first weekend of February. He still races in Benidorm on the 21st of January, in Hamme on the 27th, and in Hoogerheide on the 28th. Including the World Championship, he can therefore aim for a total of fourteen victories. "Let's hope so. Last year in Benidorm, however, the differences were very small; it's very difficult to take control of the race there. I'm also not so focused on winning all the crosses; I only need to win Tabor. That's where my focus is."

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Van der Poel is just as good as last year, he says adamantly

Van der Poel, at 28 years old and leading the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, is shining in his rainbow jerseys and yet he recently said that there is certainly still room for improvement. Top form? No. Better in shape than last year? Surprisingly, also no. "Things are going smoothly because I'm free from minor injuries. But if I'm honest, my current form is quite similar to last year's," Van der Poel explains to IDLProCycling.com. "My training progression this year mirrors last year's, so we're right on track. The only difference last year was my concern over a back issue, which prevented me from continuing. However, during road training, I was perhaps as fit as I am now. That fitness just didn't translate into my cyclo-cross performance. Dealing with back pain meant I couldn't fully utilize my strength."

That's why Van der Poel is adamant that he can and must improve, regardless of his ten dominant cyclo-cross wins. "I'll be focusing on extensive endurance training in Spain, doing everything I can. I tried to keep up with training in between races, but the bad weather made me focus more on staying healthy. So, there's still some significant work ahead in Spain. I'm looking at two or three six-hour training sessions as we approach Benidorm, which is about the limit for me right now. The first week in Spain will be about building endurance, shifting to more interval training in the second week. I'll stay in Spain right up to the Hamme race, which will give us time to fine-tune everything."

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Van der Poel's highlight is yet to come, Strava seems unlikely

Tucked away in a thick coat with a hood, Van der Poel doesn't want to talk about a highlight in the past cyclo-cross season just yet, in conversation with this website. "Last year I stood here with a very different feeling; it was much less enjoyable," he refers to his back issues, which reached a low point in Zonhoven at that time. "The highlight is still to come. Am I not interested in riding the National Championships next week? No, not really. No, that's not on my agenda. My focus is on the training camp in Spain; it's crucial for preparing for the upcoming spring season."

In short: Van der Poel is feeling good, though he emphasizes that he is not in sharper condition than a year ago. "Generally, my weight is quite stable throughout the year, so I don't think there's much difference there now," he says. A bit of tanning on his arms, however, is welcome. "Yes, I'm starting to enjoy these training camps more. If it had been possible, I would have gone back sooner, but cyclo-cross is also something I enjoy. I'm glad that I can now go back for two or three weeks," the cyclo-cross star says with a smile, who finally has some bad news for cycling fans who might have hoped for Van der Poel's return to the popular Strava. He recently left the door ajar, but in Zonhoven, he closes it. "It was more of a topic of conversation, but I don't think so. No, not even during my training camp in Spain, haha."