Things can sure change quickly! After winning each one of his first five cyclocross races, world champion Mathieu van der Poel is pulled out of X2O Trofee Baal – GP Sven Nys. Now it seems, he will withdraw from another.
It wasn’t the best start to the New Year for Van der Poel. A statement released on X by his Alpecin-Deceuninck team, the world champion announced he would not line up for Wednesday’s race in Baal, Belgium.
“Unfortunately, 2025 doesn’t begin as we had hoped,” the team announced. “World champion Mathieu van der Poel will not be racing in Baal today. He is experiencing significant rib pain, a lingering issue from his crash in Loenhout where he struck a pole. The discomfort has worsened over the past few days, and after consulting with the medical team this morning, Mathieu made the difficult decision to withdraw from today’s race.”
On Thursday, he announced he would be a DNS at the X2O Trofee in Koksijde, one of his favourite races.
Van der Poel had initially planned to decide by Saturday whether he’d compete in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Dendermonde. However, the call came earlier.
“There’s no point in waiting any longer,” Van der Poel said on Friday. “I did another test today, and it’s clear that Dendermonde comes too soon. On heavier off-road terrain, I’m still experiencing too much pain in my rib. I have no choice but to remain patient.”
Despite these setbacks, Van der Poel remains optimistic. He plans to attend a training camp in Spain following Dendermonde and is targeting a return later this month at World Cup races in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide. His ultimate goal is a bid for a seventh world title in Liévin on Feb. 2.
Cycling fans, whether they love him or not, are eager to see the Dutchman recover. Few things in the sport compare to the spectacle of Van der Poel absolutely wrecking the field.
You can watch the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Dendermonde for free on the UCI YouTube channel.
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