Mathieu van der Poel will ride thirteen cyclocross races this winter, but he expresses his doubts about the future. “I don’t know how long I will continue racing,” reveals the five-time world champion in an interview with Vélo Magazine. “An occasional winter without cyclo-cross would also be nice.”
Van der Poel has a weak back and that plays a role. “On the road I have the injury well under control. In fact, I hardly had any problems there and last year I had the best road season of my career. Now that I’m focusing on cross-country again for the winter months, we have to wait and see how that back will hold up. That uncertainty will always remain,” says the Brabant cyclist, who this year, in addition to the world title in the field, also won the world title on the road and the classics Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix.
He will ride his first cross on December 22 in Mol. “I actually do cross-country purely for fun. And of course the world title is still an important goal. I actually see the rest of the season more as a winter activity. There is no longer much for me to gain in terms of sport.”
This year’s World Cup is on February 4 in Tabor, Czech Republic.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.