Van der Poel is considering the end of cyclocross. His priority is road racing

Dutch phenomenon Mathieu van der Poel rode to his sixth cyclocross world championship title during the World Championships in Tabor. Just a few moments later, he revealed to journalists that he might not return to the field next year.

Van der Poel has had an extremely successful cyclocross season. During the winter he won twelve of the thirteen races he entered. He then confirmed his dominance by winning the World Championships in Tabor.

Nevertheless, the twenty-nine-year-old Dutchman is considering giving up cyclocross in the coming years and devoting his energy to more intensive preparation for road races.

“The World Championships are the only reason I’m still in cyclocross. It’s the only thing that keeps me at it. Because it’s also the only race that really counts and carries weight,” Van der Poel said after the championships in Tabor.

“Aside from the world title and the fun I have in the field, there’s not much left to achieve in cyclocross. I’m focusing my attention more and more on the road,” said the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider.

The reason for his reflection, he says, is not a loss of enthusiasm for cyclocross. But rather the difficulty of the discipline. “The thing is that cyclocross is ridden in winter. The races take over an hour and it costs you a lot of energy. It also takes away from you when they pour beer on you every race,” he recalled an incident in which the Dutchman spat at a group of unruly spectators on the last lap of the Hulst race.

“Even if it doesn’t affect my decision in itself, the question is whether it’s worth it. It’s hard to accept. But it’s all about the loss of energy. If it turns out that by skipping cyclocross I could perform even better on the road, I will do it,” the star cyclist added.

Will Van der Poel equal the record?

There would be motivation for Van der Poel to stay in cyclocross after all. If the Dutchman were to win his seventh world title, he would equal Erik De Vlaeminck’s record. The Belgian managed to win the world championship seven times, in 1966 and 1968 to 1973.

“Maybe that’s why I’m continuing cyclo-cross. I’m not sure exactly what it is. I don’t need to prove that I’m the best. De Vlaeminck’s record has been talked about for some time. But in the end it’s these achievements that count,” Van der Poel said.

The Dutchman will now have to move up the road

Van der Poel and his team will decide what the Dutch rider’s calendar will look like in the new road season over the next fortnight.

But he has previously hinted that he will skip the Tour de France this year because of the Olympics, possibly only completing the first week of the most famous stage race. Instead, he is considering making his debut at the Spanish Vuelta.

Van der Poel has not yet confirmed whether he will compete in Paris in the Olympic mountain bike event and also in the road race. Instead, he is almost certain to take part in the spring classics, where he will have to defend his victory at last year’s monuments Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

Source: Sport.cz, CyclingUpToDate