Ahead of his victory this Sunday in Koksijde, Mathieu van der Poel confided that his cyclo-cross career could end at the end of the season under certain conditions.
Mathieu van der Poel wonders about his future. For around fifteen years, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor has been shining in cyclo-cross and he demonstrated it again this Sunday in Koksijde with a victory without firing a shot. However, those who see their track record on the road growing and who also have Olympic ambitions in mountain biking could make a choice in the months to come. Crowned world champion seven times,
“MVDP” could beat the record he shares with Eric De Vlaeminck. Indeed, he will be the main favorite for the event scheduled for February 1 in Hulst.
During an interview given to the Dutch-speaking Belgian daily The newspaperthe Dutchman confided that “ it would be great to break the record for world titles in (his) country » before showing himself undecided regarding the rest of his career in the discipline. “ I’m not going to ride cyclocross foreverconfided Mathieu van der Poel. It has to stop one day, both on the road and in cyclo-cross. » He then mentioned the idea of “
the world championships in Hulst could be (his) final farewell “. Called to react to these remarks at the microphone of the Flemish channel VTMthe leader of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team confirmed that consideration was underway.
Van der Poel thinks first of the record
“ I always said I wanted to retire in my country, with the recordconfided Mathieu van der Poel. I don’t have much left to gain in cyclocross. Retirement is certainly an option, but nothing is decided yet. » While he has not been beaten in the discipline for almost two years, having signed a fourteenth consecutive victory this Sunday, Adrie van der Poel’s son could make a sharp turn in his professional career by abandoning the discipline that allowed him to make a name for himself at the highest level.
