n the Dutch mud of Hulst, just 40 kilometers from Antwerp and the hometown of Mathieu van der Poel -Dutch born in Belgium, residing most of the year in the town of Moraira in Alicante and grandson of the illustrious Frenchman, Raymond Poulidor- there was no room for doubt. Cyclocross witnessed the confirmation of who dominated it like no other. It was another victory without excitement, the 51st consecutive win (he wins everything he races since January 2024), the 12th of this season, crowning him as world champion for the eighth time. This victory surpassed the only one who disputed the honorary title of the best of all time.
Erick De Vlaeminck, who passed away 11 years ago, was the king, the pioneer. "We are all his children," said his successor. The same Sven Nys who now acknowledges the evidence, facing the rival of his own son, third Thibau on Sunday: "They would have to amputate one of Van der Poel's legs for him to lose this World Championship." "We can only enjoy it. People tell us: 'You go out not to win.' But he is the best rider in history. I can say: I competed against the best of all time," acknowledges Felipe Orts to EL MUNDO, heroic and commendable in seventh place after suffering a stomach virus days before the race and having to climb several positions after a challenging start.
"He is the best in everything," insists the rider from Villajoyosa. "He is the strongest, the most technical, the fastest... You can't touch him anywhere. Even with mechanical issues, he has beaten us... He doesn't have one more point, he has two or three. He is completely on another level. The qualifiers run out," he continues, recalling what happened a few days ago in the Maasmechelen race. Van der Poel punctured twice. But he still won.
It is true that there is still a challenge that Mathieu has not overcome in the specialty he has excelled in since childhood. His compatriot Marianne Vos also boasts eight world titles. Although the question now, hinted by himself -"maybe it's not a bad idea to skip a winter because being here always represents the peak of my season, not only physically but also mentally"- is whether his hunger will remain or if he will park, for a year or forever and for the first time, his cyclocross challenges. Because challenges go beyond the mud and are becoming more extreme.
With almost no transition time, the classics arrive, the territory where he also boasts being unique but where the worst possible rival has emerged. For example, Tadej Pogacar prefers to debut in Roubaix rather than win his fifth Tour. "If I had to choose...". And "when the rest of the cyclists are calmly training with the sun in Benidorm, stress-free, he is here pushing himself, enduring cold and falls," Orts points out, giving him advice: "What I would do in his case, to avoid extending the season, would be to reduce it. I would try to race the last races and aim for the World Championship every year."
Van der Poel needs one more victory in Roubaix to equal Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck (brother of Erick) in the record books. But, after three consecutive wins, he feels the threat of Pogacar on the cobblestones becoming more intense, and his preparation increasing. Would he have defeated him a year ago if it weren't for that fall by the Slovenian? In the Old Quaremont, in Flanders, Poggi gave the Dutchman a reality check (equaling three titles with six other riders: Cancellara, Boonen, Museeuw, Leman, Magni, and Buysse). And in the Milan-San Remo, perhaps the most challenging for him, the UAE rider was not far behind either.
"I always think about two things: trying to arrive in the best possible shape for these World Championships and also that the road season is approaching. I am getting closer to the end than the beginning of my career. Ultimately, I think about Flanders and Roubaix. Those are the races where I could also make history. I still have a couple of years left, so I will do everything possible to make it work," Mathieu declared before Hulst.
Between a winter in the sun in the Mediterranean or with cold and mud in Central Europe. Between celebrating on the posters of Spanish towns during training with Ronaldo's "Siuu" or making (more) history in cyclocross. The tyrant Van der Poel begins to have doubts at 31.