Mathieu van der Poel will return to cyclocross racing this weekend after a remarkable road season.
The star rider has been resting since early October in preparation for his return to CX, as he looks to defend his rainbow jersey early next year.
Van der Poel rode a breakthrough season on the road, winning Amstel Gold Race and the Tour of Britain among other memorable victories, and also took three major victories on the mountain bike scene.
He will make his CX return at the Telenet Superprestige Ruddervoorde race in Belgium on Sunday (November 3).
In an interview with radio programme De Tribune in Belgium, the 24-year-old: “I’m in good form but I’m not at my top level yet.
“It has been a busy summer. I needed some rest myself and only wanted to return when I had an acceptable level of form. If you start the season badly, its very difficult to get it right during the season, so I wanted the basics to be in order before I started.”
The Corendon-Circus rider had a whirlwind season as he took his first WorldTour victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen and then followed up with a staggering fourth place finish in the Tour of Flanders.
Arguably the most memorable moment for Van der Poel was Amstel Gold Race in April, when he chased down the lead group single-handedly and still powered clear to take victory in the sprint.
After spending the summer racing mountain bikes, taking his three World Cup victories, he return to road racing and dominated the Tour of Britain, winning three stages and the overall.
>>> Strava stats reveal what it takes to win British Hill Climb Championships
While the Dutchman will look to defend his CX world title during the first weekend of February, his real goal is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where he is targeting mountain bike gold.
His main cyclocross rival, Wout Van Aert, is still absent from racing after his crash during the Tour de France.
Van der Poel added: “Personally, I also think it’s a shame that Van Aert is not there because he has always been my biggest competitive. But maybe I’ll find a challenge in Eli Iserbyt now. It seems that he has taken a big step.”
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
-
Tweets of the week: Did Geraint Thomas run over a small child?
Also featuring Patrick Lefevere, Alex Dowsett and Rigoberto Urán
By Jonny Long •
-
'I had thoughts of just packing it all in': Gabriel Cullaigh's lonely experience and rejection with Movistar
The Yorkshireman explains why he was unable to deliver on the promise he showed at U23 level
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
Cyclocross World Cup race in Antwerp cancelled due to Covid case surge
Rising cases and the new Omicron variant meant that the race could not go ahead
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tom Pidcock decides on 12-race cyclocross schedule in run-up to World Championships bid
The Brit will often line up alongside Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert this winter
By Jonny Long •
-
Zoe Bäckstedt wins opening junior cyclocross World Cup round in Tábor
The Brit followed up her European cyclocross title with victory in the Czech Republic
By Jonny Long •
-
Mathieu van der Poel finishes in top-10 of all Monuments in just 14 months
The Dutch star is the second fastest rider ever to achieve the feat, behind Eddy Merckx
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel says he 'was the most broken of all' in Paris-Roubaix sprint
The Dutchman has now finished in the top-10 in each of the sport's five Monuments
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
'I think it would be quite cool if it rains': Mathieu van der Poel ready to take on the challenge at debut Paris-Roubaix
The Dutch rider comes into the 'Hell of the North' after a solid top 10 at the World Championships
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel will ride World Championships road race
The Dutch star has recovered from his back injury enough to compete for the rainbow bands
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel focussed on Paris-Roubaix, but coach holds his World Championships place
The Dutchman returned to action last Sunday at Antwerp Port Epic and now faces a race against time to be fit for the Worlds and Paris-Roubaix
By Ryan Dabbs •
