Zonneveld and Albert laugh about dominant Van der Poel, Ten Dam shares Ronhaar's message: "He gave me a cold"

Mathieu van der Poel continues to spark discussion. After his convincing victory in Zonhoven, where the gap to the rest left spectators in awe and talk of eleven wins in eleven races began, his latest show in Mol has only increased the astonishment. This time, the main reactions come from the Dutchman's home country... The Netherlands.

In a column for Algemeen Dagblad, Thijs Zonneveld wrote a humorous letter to Santa Claus. The plea: get Van der Poel out of here as soon as possible! A witty piece of writing, written from the perspective of his competitors. "We don’t really want to tattle, but we have no choice. He’s done it again. It took a minute and sixteen seconds, and then he was back where he always rides: alone at the front. He lapped us as if we were toddlers on bikes with training wheels, flew through corners so fast he didn’t even touch the mud, and dove into the Kuil van Zonhoven like tomorrow didn’t exist."

"It’s as if we’re completely useless. We now look like second-rate cyclo-crossers," he wrote. According to Zonneveld, every cyclo-cross race was exciting before Van der Poel’s arrival. Now... Not so much. "That’s why we’re hoping you can help, Santa," the columnist joked. He listed a series of miracle solutions that might allow people to keep up with the world champion. "We’d like one canned cold to give him, a box of tacks to scatter, and an anchor to attach to his saddle when he’s not paying attention before the start. And if none of that works, could you please take him back to Lapland in your sack?"

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Mathieu van der Poel in action in Mol

Albert is realistic about the chances of others when Van der Poel is racing

"Even after a good night’s rest, I’m still not sure if Mathieu van der Poel was riding two or three gears bigger than the rest in Mol, but the difference was enormous, which was reflected in his lead in the final laps," Niels Albert wrote in his column for the Belgian paper HLN. "Because Mathieu has become a true road cyclist, he’s gained a lot of strength and rides in bigger gears than typical crossers." Or, as he puts it, "The way Mathieu rode through the sand, I was speechless. Silently enjoying it."

Albert concluded: "His base speed is simply much higher than the rest. That’s the difference." He wonders if Wout van Aert, currently recovering from illness, will be able to challenge the rainbow jersey. "Having witnessed Mathieu’s dominance live, I don’t see a single course in the next nine races where he can be beaten. Maybe if Dendermonde turns into a real mud fest... He’s lost to better runners in such conditions before, but even then, Mathieu runs well. Wout will need to be in super form to beat him, and we have to ask ourselves if that will be possible this winter."

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Wout van Aert's comeback is yet to come

Van der Poel masterclass in Zonhoven

"I think a lot of Classics riders are already thinking: we might as well pack it up," laughed Laurens ten Dam in his podcast Live Slow Ride Fast. The newly appointed coach of the Dutch women’s road team was left speechless by Van der Poel’s performance in Zonhoven. "What he did there was a masterpiece, from the third starting row to the front in 72 seconds. What happened after that asphalt start… How is it possible? He rode twice as fast as the rest through a muddy section, took an outside corner, passed someone on the inside while braking, and then accelerated from a standstill into that pit. That was it."

Ten Dam also spoke with Pim Ronhaar, who humorously shared what it’s like to race against Van der Poel again. "'I immediately feel like a small-time player again,' he texted," Ten Dam recalled with a laugh. He also shared another gem from Ronhaar: "That guy sprinted past us so fast, he gave me a cold. I almost turned around and went straight back to my camper. I thought he’d wait half an hour for us, but Matje had other ideas."

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