‘Close to something historical’ – Van der Poel aiming for cyclo-cross record in 2025

Mathieu van der Poel is targeting the record of seven titles at the Cyclo-cross World Championships next year.

The 29-year-old Dutchman has six to his name with the current record set at seven, and with no signs of slowing down in his career, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has his sights on a seventh.

However, Van der Poel first discussed one of the finest wins of his career, in the Netherlands at the 2019 Amstel Gold.

He said of his reaction to the win: “I was a bit lost at first. I knew it hurt. I went pretty deep, so I had to lay down. I was just, it felt like a thousand people standing over me.

“It’s like a football stadium exploding while scoring a winning goal. In the moment itself, you don’t really appreciate, know what is going on. Afterwards, you see the images and it gives me goosebumps.

“It’s super difficult. I get this question quite often – what is your most beautiful victory – they all mean something to me. Some are bigger than others, but I think winning in the national jersey in the only Classic race left in the Netherlands, so maybe it was my breakthrough on the road, so that was something special. It means it was quite a big victory.”

Van der Poel was asked about what inspired him, and he replied that some of his inspiration comes from himself, but conceded that Wout van Aert provided a special challenge to be met.

He continued: “I’m used to it because I’ve already had some big appointments with cycling. In the beginning when I was younger, it got me nervous, but now, I’m kind of used to it and I think nobody puts more pressure on me than I do myself, and I want to perform. I want to win, that’s why I started racing. I really love to win.

“I’m mainly concerned with myself, but to win you have to cause the rivals [to lose]. It keeps me on my edge. The better they are the better I have to be, and I think that’s what comes in sports. With Wout van Aert, of course, everyone knows the history we have. Now, Tadej Pogacar comes to do some classic races as well sometimes, and he’s also good at that. It’s good for me, keeps me on my edge.”

Speaking of the seventh potential rival, he admitted that 2025 would be the year he attempts to reach the record number.

“I have goals but I’ve not changed this,” he answered. “I try to be the best version of myself every year and hopefully, the rest comes. I’m getting close to doing something historical and you get remembered by those kinds of things, so it will be a goal next year to try and break the record. It’s my first passion.”

He also discussed some of the toughest wins that had come his way, and he reflected on the 2023 World Championships in road racing.

In Glasgow, he crashed heavily – hurting himself and damaging a shoe in the process – but sprung back to his feet in order to get back on his bike, and ultimately claimed an impressive win.

He explained: “Instinctively, I just jumped back on the bike. I hoped everything was okay, luckily it was, and I could continue with the adrenaline. If I had to name one of my best victories, for sure this would be in the top five.

“The way it developed it was one of my hardest races. That day I felt super good and I was thinking about trying to win the World Championship. I think after winning two monuments already, becoming world champion was a year to remember. I will remember last year forever.

“The classics are a big goal again. For me, I have the same races as I did last year, and in the summer… It’s quite difficult with the Olympics, but I still aim to compete in the mountain bikes and road.”