Mathieu van der Poel is to race 11 cyclocross races this season, starting with the Zonhoven World Cup on Sunday 22 December, and finishing with the World Championships in Liévin, France, on 2 February, it was announced on Friday.
This is the lowest number of CX events the six-time world champion has ever completed in a season, apart from 2021/22, when he was affected by injury. Last year, Van der Poel raced 14 times, concluding with victory at the World Championships in Tabor.
In a press release from Alpecin-Deceuninck, the Dutchman explained: "After careful consideration and discussions with the team management and performance staff, I decided on a solid schedule of races. A more compact program of, say, two World Cup races combined with the World Championships was another option, but I think it makes more sense to do a more extensive package of races."
"Once that decision was made, I quickly mapped out the races I wanted to include. And yes, I’m fortunate to have the freedom to choose the races I enjoy most. It is no coincidence that with Zonhoven, Mol and Koksijde there are a few typical sand races on the menu."
He is aiming for a seventh world title, which would make him the joint-record holder.
"The seventh world title, of course," he said of his ambitions. "It is the only thing I still have to achieve in CX: this unique record of Erik De Vlaeminck. This aspiration has been a driving force in shaping my commitment to this winter's cyclocross season. The World Championship[s] in Liévin is the only real goal, although I hope to fight for victory in all the other races I take part in. But we'll see how I do in the first weeks. As I said, the peak will be a bit later this year."
Last season Van der Poel won all but one of the races he took part in, so it will be interesting to see how he shapes up against his rivals this year. The two World Cups this season have been won by Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout in his absence, and the X2O and Superprestige competitions are led by Lars van der Haar.
Van der Poel will be the first of the CX 'big three' to return to competition, with the likelihood of Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock racing still unknown.
Mathieu van der Poel's CX schedule
- Zonhoven World Cup 22/12
- Mol Superprestige 23/12
- Gavere World Cup 26/12
- Loenhout Exact 27/12
- Besançon World Cup 29/12
- Baal X2O Trofee 01/01
- Koksijde X2O Trofee 03/01
- Dendermonde World Cup 05/01
- Maasmechelen World Cup 25/01
- Hoogerheide World Cup 26/01
- Liévin World Championships 02/02
