Mathieu van der Poel has revealed his keenly anticipated cyclocross schedule for 2024-2025, which can culminate with a bid to equal Erik de Vlaeminck’s document whole of seven World Championships titles in Lievín, France subsequent February 2.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider will make his cyclocross debut on December 22 within the World Cup at Zonhoven. He’ll cross swords with arch-rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) for the primary time this season simply 24 hours later within the Superprestige occasion at Mol.
Van der Poel’s barely shortened winter cyclocross program will include 11 races with one notable absence being the Benidorm World Cup in Spain, the place the Dutch star fought, and misplaced, a ferocious duel in opposition to Van Aert final January.
In whole, Van der Poel will journey two fewer cyclocross races than in 2023-2024, when he took half in 13. Each Van der Poel and Van Aert will concentrate on the spring Classics on the highway in early 2025 and attend key coaching camps with their groups. Cyclocross has change into much less of a precedence for each. Van Aert has revealed he’ll journey simply six cyclocross races this winter and never journey the World Championships.
Van der Poel stated his overriding aim is defending his world title subsequent February, which if profitable would represent a record-equalling seventh victory in that class.
Requested about his cyclocross ambitions within the Alpecin-Deceuninck press launch, Van der Poel said merely. “The seventh world title, after all.”
“It’s the solely factor I nonetheless have to attain in cyclocross: this distinctive document of Erik De Vlaeminck. This aspiration has been a driving drive in shaping my dedication to this winter’s cyclocross season.”
“The World Championship in Liévin is the one actual aim, though I hope to struggle for victory in all the opposite races I participate in. However we’ll see how I do within the first weeks. As I stated, the height will probably be a bit later this yr.”
Van der Poel added that his winter program had taken a while to be determined, admitting that “A extra compact program of, say, two World Cup races mixed with the World Championships was an alternative choice.”
“I believe it makes extra sense to do a extra intensive bundle of races. I’m lucky to have the liberty to decide on the races I take pleasure in most. It’s no coincidence that with Zonhoven, Mol and Koksijde there are a couple of typical sand races on the menu.”
Van der Poel defined that he could have a touch simpler January schedule than in 2024, decreasing his whole of races subsequent month from six to 5, and with no racing in any respect on two successive weekends.
“We’re taking a barely totally different method this winter;” he stated.
“Final yr, I began the season in prime kind, however the World Championships weren’t my best possible race of the season when it comes to feeling.”
“Now we’re actually attempting to peak on the Worlds by specializing in particular preparations throughout a coaching camp. For optimum effectivity, it’s higher to not interrupt it.”
Mathieu van der Poel 2024-2025 cyclocross schedule
- 22/12/24 – World Cup Zonhoven
- 23/12/24 – Superprestige Mol
- 26/12/24 – World Cup Gavere
- 27/12/24 – Actual Cross Loenhout
- 29/12/24 – World Cup Besancon
- 01/01/25 – X2O Trofee Baal
- 03/01/25 – X2O Trofee Koksijde
- 05/01/25 – World Cup Dendermonde
- 25/01/25 – World Cup Maasmechelen
- 26/01/25 – World Cup Hoogerheide
- 02/02/25 – World Championships Lièvin
