Mathieu van der Poel on picking lines during ‘cross
The world champ had another big win at in Besançon, but it wasn’t easy
Mathieu van der Poel extended his winning streak to five in Sunday’s eighth round of the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Besançon, France, securing his fifth consecutive victory in just eight days, including a World Cup hat trick. Toon Aerts finished second, narrowing Michael Vanthourenhout’s overall lead to 25 points, with Van der Poel moving up to 6th in the standings. Aerts, eager to claim the hole shot, led early, while Eli Iserbyt struggled with a clip-in issue. By Lap 2, Loris Rouiller was impressing in pursuit, but van der Poel surged ahead. As the race progressed, Vanthourenhout, after a pit setback, languished in 24th. Joran Wyseure, aiming for his second World Cup podium of the season, closed the gap but couldn’t catch Aerts and Niels Vandeputte, who were battling for second. By the penultimate lap, van der Poel remained dominant at the front, while Aerts held onto second, with Vandeputte trailing just behind.
“It’s nice to race here in France. We don’t often go abroad for cyclocross anymore, so it’s great to see so many people here,” van der Poel said, referring to the fact that most of the races are in Belgium or The Netherlands. “The last two laps were even harder. But I kept doing my thing. I stayed out of trouble the whole race. That was my goal.”
The advantages of being in the lead
He also said that when he’s at the front, it can be “easier” as you can choose your own lines. There’s no traffic ahead of you, or riders crashing that prevent you from picking the ideal way through a corner or down a hill. There were a few notable descents with some nasty ruts, for example.
“But sometimes, you take a corner just wrong, and then you think: I’ll take a different line next lap. But then that one turns out to be wrong too,” he said. “By the third time you reach that spot, you’re faced with a dilemma: do I do it again or stick to my first line?”
Although Sunday’s ‘cross was tough, he said that the race at Gavere was more difficult.
“But today was still a very challenging course. It’s also nice to come to France for the World Cup. I raced here two years ago as well. There’s a lot of spectators, very enthusiastic spectators. It’s great to see.”
Besançon was his final race of the 2024 season. Next for him will be New Year’s Day at the GP Sven Nys. “Monday, I have a long training session planned. On Tuesday, I will rest, and then on Wednesday, I’ll get back to work in Baal.”
It’s safe to say MvdP won’t be having any wild New Year’s Eve parties…