{"id":1683429,"date":"2026-01-28T09:48:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T06:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1683429"},"modified":"2026-01-28T09:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T06:48:45","slug":"hail-the-goat-mathieu-van-der-poel-on-brink-of-history-after-cyclocross-rout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1683429","title":{"rendered":"Hail the GOAT? Mathieu van der Poel on Brink of History after Cyclocross Rout"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Updated January 29, 2026 05:26AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cyclocross legend Sven Nys summed it up perfectly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d have to amputate a leg for Mathieu van der Poel to lose these world championships,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And Nys wasn\u2019t being hyperbolic when he spoke to Wielerflits<\/em> earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Van der Poel obliterated the cyclocross winter with a bulldozer-meets-ballerina panache that\u2019s never been seen before.<\/p>\n

And now it seems like only a lost limb will stop the Dutch dominator from cementing \u201cCX GOAT\u201d status on Sunday at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.<\/p>\n

If Van der Poel wins on Sunday, he\u2019ll go one better than Eric de Vlaeminck and remove any last doubt about who\u2019s the best male \u2018crosser in history. The two toppers are currently tied on seven elite cyclocross titles apiece, a mark that\u2019s only bettered by Marianne Vos.<\/p>\n

But the sad truth? That line of the record book will be overlooked when MVDP starts chasing Tadej Poga\u010dar around San Remo in six weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

In a modern era of WorldTour superteams and a Slovenian slayer, it\u2019s the road that rules cycling\u2019s conscience. Cyclocross is more at the margins than ever.<\/p>\n

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But that won\u2019t stop Van der Poel from chasing his own muddy legacy in a rare corner of cycling that\u2019s safe from King Pog.<\/p>\n

\u2018Racing against Van der Poel is demotivating\u2019<\/h2>\n
\"Van
Van der Poel crushed the world of cyclocross without breaking a sweat this winter. <\/span> (Photo: Billy Ceusters \/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a sense of collective resignation that MVDP will win a historic eighth cyclocross title on Sunday in Hulst.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no Wout van Aert, no Tom Pidcock, and no Eli Iserbyt.<\/p>\n

Thibau Nys is down in the dumps and sensing doom after a string of bad races. Nys\u2019 Belgian teammate Tobor del Grosso is a raw talent, but a mere morsel for the victory-gobbling Dutchman.<\/p>\n

And more to the point, Van der Poel just won 12 races in 12 attempts while barely breaking Zone 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bit demotivating for the other riders. The difference is so big,\u201d Belgian coach Angelo De Clercq told Wielerflits<\/em>. \u201cThe cyclocross in Maasmechelen [last weekend \u2013 ed<\/em>] was the best example. Mathieu had two punctures, but still won.\u201d<\/p>\n

Too right, Angelo.<\/p>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s winter has been truly obscene. He\u2019s made dominance routine.<\/p>\n

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Van der Poel on the cusp of cyclocross history<\/h2>\n
\"Van
Van der Poel can cement himself as greatest \u2018crosser in history this weekend in Hulst.<\/span> (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s flawless winter leaves him sitting on an unbeaten streak that stretches back to January 2024 and a record of 51 World Cup wins.<\/p>\n

But Alpecin-Premier Tech\u2019s prize asset isn\u2019t counting his historic eighth elite world title just yet.<\/p>\n

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Speaking this week to Het Laatste Nieuws<\/em>, the 31-year-old said what came before \u2014 including his double-puncture comeback \u2014 won\u2019t count for anything in Hulst.<\/p>\n

He still has to earn his legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in trying to make a statement before the world championships. Everyone\u2019s starting from scratch in Hulst,\u201d he said. \u201cI just felt really good last week, and hopefully I\u2019ll have a good day on Sunday as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m focused and definitely not going there with the feeling that it\u2019s already a given. I\u2019ve had good preparation, and that gives me peace of mind,\u201d Van der Poel said. \u201cBut it still has to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will it take a crash, a mechanical, an act of god, or an amputated leg to stop Van der Poel?<\/p>\n

Maybe so.<\/p>\n

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The road rules modern cycling<\/h2>\n
\"Van
Van der Poel\u2019s season will likely be measured by results at San Remo, Flanders, and Roubaix, not in CX.<\/span> (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unlike the Poga\u010dar vs Merckx debate on the road, there will be no doubt over MVDP\u2019s status as an all-time great of cyclocross if \u2014 or when \u2014 he wins on Sunday.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t come at us for saying it \u2026 Van der Poel\u2019s season will be decided on the slopes and stones of the monuments spring.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the slugfests with Poga\u010dar, Van Aert, and Mads Pedersen that the cycling circus craves.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re the races that make the year-end highlights reels.<\/p>\n

And beyond that, it\u2019s the smooth tarmac and big budgets of the road that capture the sponsors, harvest the clicks, and pay for MVDP\u2019s shiniest new golf clubs [not that MVDP doesn\u2019t make a pretty penny from \u2018cross, either].<\/p>\n

Yet sadly for Van der Poel, his dominance in cyclocross no longer extends to the spring.<\/p>\n

His status as patron of the pav\u00e9<\/em> is at threat from Poga\u010dar, and it will be even more so in 2026.<\/p>\n

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Van der Poel on the receiving end in the classics<\/h2>\n
Van der Poel\u2019s rule over the cobbles has been rudely interrupted. <\/span> (Photo: Jan de Meulenier \u2013 Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Poga\u010dar will return to the Tour of Flanders this season to defend his 2025 title. Either side of that, he\u2019ll make more swings at Van der Poel across San Remo and Roubaix.<\/p>\n

The upstart Slovenian will be just as much a favorite for those historic one-days as the Dutchman who counts six cobbled monuments \u2014 one short of Tom Boonen \u2014 on his palmar\u00e8s<\/em>, and two more from San Remo.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Van der Poel\u2019s winter warpath won\u2019t worry Poga\u010dar when they hit the Poggio, Paterberg, and Arenberg in a few months\u2019 time \u2014 and the Dutchman knows it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI experience dominance on the road, albeit to a lesser extent, when Poga\u010dar is racing,\u201d Van der Poel told HLN<\/em> as he pondered how it felt to be crushed every weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it\u2019s like to simply not be able to keep up on the Oude Kwaremont,\u201d he said. \u201cThat motivates me to keep working or to adjust a few things in training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van der Poel is no longer the<\/em> man to beat in the northern classics. But he can take consolation in one thing.<\/p>\n

His cyclocross status is Pog-proof.<\/p>\n

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Van der Poel won\u2019t stop \u2018crossing until he\u2019s undisputed king<\/h2>\n
Thousands of fans will show up to CX worlds this weekend to follow Van der Poel\u2019s chase for history.<\/span> (Photo: Billy Ceusters \/Billy Ceusters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cyclocross was pushed deep to the margins this winter. Without Wout, Pidders, and eternal chaser Iserbyt, those muddy time trials were best watched in highlights reels, not full replays.<\/p>\n

But this niche of the sport ain\u2019t going away.<\/p>\n

Organizers of this weekend\u2019s worlds claim they\u2019ve sold more than 35,000 tickets for two days of beers, frites, and CX fandom. The big Dutch brawl between Lucinda Brand, Puck Pieterse, and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado on Saturday in the women\u2019s race will be a must-watch.<\/p>\n

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And while Van der Poel\u2019s 2026 might be measured by his spring, he knows his lasting legacy is wrapped up in \u2018cross \u2013 and he won\u2019t stop chasing his muddy, marginalized first love until he\u2019s guaranteed immortality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t made a final decision about stopping cross yet, and I won\u2019t do so immediately after worlds,\u201d Van der Poel told HLN<\/em>. \u201cAnd if it doesn\u2019t work out for me on Sunday, I\u2019ll definitely keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m so close to that record, it\u2019s definitely a goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Updated January 29, 2026 05:26AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/mathieu-van-der-poel-cx-world-championship-goat\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated January 29, 2026 05:26AM Cyclocross legend Sven Nys summed it up perfectly. \u201cThey\u2019d have to amputate a leg for Mathieu van der Poel to lose these world championships,\u201d he said. And Nys wasn\u2019t being hyperbolic when he spoke to Wielerflits earlier this week. Van der Poel obliterated the cyclocross winter with a bulldozer-meets-ballerina panache […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1683432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1683429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1683429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1683429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1683429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1683432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1683429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1683429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1683429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}