Mathieu van der Poel was not supposed to be in Benidorm. Yet on Sunday, the Dutch world champion appeared on the start list anyway — and did exactly what most expected, riding away from the field for another emphatic cyclocross victory.
Van der Poel admitted afterward that the choice wasn’t entirely his own. “My teammates basically forced me all week,” he said, according to Sporza. “They wanted to come and watch, so that definitely played a role.”
Several of his Alpecin – Premier Tech riders were in town–doing some pretty incredible training rides. Sprinter Jasper Philipsen was one.
Benidorm domination
As far as the World Cup–once the race began, the outcome was never really in doubt. Van der Poel moved to the front early alongside Tibor del Grosso before deciding to go solo. “We already had a gap after the first lap,” he explained. “That doesn’t happen often on this course. I wanted to take advantage of it straight away, so I went on my own.”
The bigger question was why he changed his mind at all. Van der Poel admitted he had serious doubts because of his road-season preparations. “Training is very important for me right now,” he said. “During those three weeks in Belgium, I hardly trained between races. As a road rider, this is a crucial period.”
In the end, several factors aligned: decent weather, strong training sessions in Spain, and the feeling that one extra race wouldn’t disrupt his plans. “I felt I’d done enough to fit this cross in,” he said. “It was mainly the coach I still had to convince.”
How would Philipsen do in ‘cross?
After the win, the mood turned light-hearted when talk shifted to teammate Philipsen. Van der Poel revealed that he and others — including former pro José De Cauwer — have been trying for years to lure the sprinter into a cyclocross race. “Heusden-Zolder would be perfect for him,” Van der Poel said.
Philipsen, alas, was not down for the mud. And like a good teammate, Van der Poel went in hard. “With the 80-percent rule, he’d probably be taken out of the race,” he joked. “And it wouldn’t just be me lapping him — it would be everyone. People sometimes underestimate how high the level is in cyclocross.”
There are two World Cups left before the big finale at the 2026 UCI world ‘cross champs in Hulst, the Netherlands. On Saturday, the UCI World Cup heads to Maasmechelen, Belgium. The next day, riders race in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands. Van der…
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