Mathieu van der Poel will begin his cyclocross season as the defending world champion and the favourite to claim an eighth world title, but many believe this winter may not be as simple for him as previous years. Speaking on the Live Slow, Ride Fast podcast, Van Gucht suggested that Belgium could organise its races to better support Wout van Aert. “Match Wout with Thibau Nys this season, with a few strong riders behind them, and I’m not sure Van der Poel wins so easily anymore,” he said.
Last year, Van der Poel’s dominance was clear from his very first race. At Zonhoven, he powered through the pack from a poor starting position and took the lead within minutes. That performance came while Van Aert was still recovering from his Vuelta a España crash a contrast both Van Gucht and Herygers highlighted. “It will be closer than last year,” they argued.
Herygers said on the podcast that he expects a much tighter battle once Van Aert returns. “I think Wout can spring a surprise, and the gap won’t be as big as last season,” he noted. He also mentioned certain conditions that favour Van Aert, recalling the muddy, run-heavy race in Dendermonde. “No one runs better in the mud than Wout in my opinion, even better than Van der Poel. But even so, beating Van der Poel will be very tough.
Van Gucht agreed that Van der Poel is still an extraordinary all-round racer but added, “Wout moves through the mud extremely well.” Looking ahead to Hulst, he warned that Van Aert will need more race days beforehand, otherwise he could face the same setback as last year’s World Championships in Liévin, where he was forced to start from the fourth row.
As Van der Poel targets a record-breaking eighth world title, Van Gucht’s idea of joining Van Aert with Nys was framed as a tactical approach not a suggestion that Nys could challenge Van der Poel directly. His point was simply: “Put Wout with Thibau Nys… and maybe Van der Poel doesn’t win so easily.”
With neither Van der Poel nor Van Aert confirming their return dates, the takeaway from Live Slow, Ride Fast was consistent: Van der Poel remains the rider to beat, but Van Aert potentially backed by Nys could make this winter far more competitive than the last.
Be the first to comment