Mathieu van der Poel confirmed his 2023/24 cyclocross calendar today, with 13 events over roughly six weeks. Fans of mud and skinny tires will have to wait until December to see the world champ in action, though. Van der Poel won’t line up to race until Exact Cross in Mol on Dec. 22nd.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck star’s ‘cross calendar may be short, but it is busy. Van der Poel will squeeze in six World Cup starts, three X2O Trofee appearances and two Exact Cross races between late December and early February.
All of that will lead up to an attempted defense of van der Poel’s elite world championship title. The Dutchman won his fifth elite men’s title after an enthralling duel with Wout van Aert in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands last February. A sixth elite title would be impressive, even for van der Poel. But he does have one factor tilting the scales in his favour. 2024 cyclocross world championships return to Tabor, Czech Republic. That is the site of his first elite title way back in 2015.
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Here it is: the 2023-2024 cyclocross program of @mathieuvanderpoel. Our world champion restarts competition in Mol and closes it six weeks later with the World Cup in the Czech Republic.#alpecindeceuninck @Exact_Cross @SuperprestigeCX @UCIcyclocrossWC @X2OTrofee pic.twitter.com/Qs2TX573gw— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) November 2, 2023
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