Watch as Mathieu van der Poel’s mom nervously follows her son’s race for the rainbow jersey
The dramatic action made for some tense moments
Photo by:
UCI/Twitter
During the elite men’s race at the cyclocross world championships, Corinne Poulidor was in Hoogherheide, the Netherlands, watching the super-close duel between her son Mathieu van der Poel and his rival Wout van Aert.
Corinne Poulidor is no stranger to cycling, having been surrounded by it as a child and in her adult life. Her husband is Adrie van der Poel, a road and ‘cross star from the ’90s. Her father was the great Raymond Poulidor. Raymond, also known as “Pou-Pou” and the “Eternal Second,” was one of the finest road cyclists in the ’60s and ’70s. He earned the latter nickname by finishing second three times at the Tour de France. He also finished in third place five times. (That’s what happens when your career happens during the era of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx.) He did win seven stages at the Tour, as well as the overall at the Vuelta a España.
Despite Corinne being around cycling most of her life (don’t forget her other son, David, is an accomplished pro), you can understand how stressful watching ‘cross worlds would be. The hype about van Aert and van der Poel’s battle royale had been going on for months. And given that the race would come down to the final sprint, it’s perfectly reasonable to see her anxiously check out the very close race.
Thankfully, the tension was worth it. MvdP took the win, and the rainbow jersey, and you can be sure Corinne gave him the kind of hug only a mother can.
Mathieu Van der Poel’s mum could barely watch last Sunday
💙💙💙 #Hoogerheide2023
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 8, 2023
