Considering that Mathieu van der Poel now owns the record for most career World Cup round wins at 51, it seems funny that at Sunday’s final round of the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands, he wrapped up only his second overall title. Tied with Sven Nys on the round record after Saturday’s Maasmechelen round, van der Poel took it outright on Sunday. Cody Scott was top Canadian at 41st.
Earlier in Sunday’s program, Emilien Belzile was top Canadian at 18th, Farland Lamont came 31st, and Grayson Franks just behind Lamont in the Junior men’s race. In the men’s U23 contest Rhett Bates finished 32nd and Mathis Duval 39th.
Preliminaries
Racing more World Cup rounds than he did last season, and winning them, meant that Mathieu van der Poel was poised to take his second career overall title. Undefeated in the series, the world champion was 38 points clear of three-round winner Thibau Nys.
Cody Scott and Cameron Jette made up the Canadian contingent.
Nys claimed the early lead on Lap 1, with Toon Aerts and Ryan Kamp making their presence felt. Tibor del Grosso had ground to make up. Joris Nieuwenhuis clomped up the Stairway to Heaven first. Nys and van der Poel crossed the line side by side in sixth and seventh. Scott crossed 42nd and Jette 46th.
The leading trio changed to Aerts, del Grosso and Mees Hendrikx at the start of Lap 2, but the string was still 30 metres in length and no one pitted. Del Grosso carried speed effectively enough to take a two-second gap to van der Poel by the finish line. Scott and Jette were within two places of one another.
With van der Poel poised to attack on Lap 3 of 9, Nys knew he had to move up from Position 7. The world champion stamped on the pedals and del Grosso tried to cling on. Van der Poel was gone and it was up to the others to sort out the rest of the podium. Del Grosso looked for help as the man in the rainbow bands became a speck on the horizon. In the subsequent lap, the chase shrank and swelled.
In the penultimate circuit, the podium fight was among 17 chaps, but gaps had opened up when they heard the bell.
Nys attacked on the bell lap, del Grosso chasing. Nys was first over the planks and up the Stairway to Heaven, but in the sprint del Grosso and Vandeputte both passed him. Alpecin-Premier Tech swept the podium.
The last race the world champion didn’t win was January 21, 2024’s…
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