Mathieu van der Poel secured his seventh elite men’s cyclocross world title in Liรฉvin with a dominant performance, matching the long-standing record set by Belgian great Erik De Vlaeminck. The Dutchman wasted no time in distancing himself from the field, taking control on the opening lap and riding solo to victory in front of an estimated 35,000 spectators.
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ToggleFrom the moment the lights went out, Van der Poel was determined to dictate the pace. With an uphill start proving crucial, he surged ahead, only briefly relinquishing the lead to Toon Aerts before taking firm control. Behind him, Wout van Aert struggled, caught in the middle of the pack due to his fourth-row start. The Belgian then suffered a crash, losing valuable seconds and dropping to 37th place.
While Van der Poel built an early gap, Michael Vanthourenhout, Felipe Orts, and Laurens Sweeck attempted to keep pace, but they quickly found themselves losing ground. Joris Nieuwenhuis managed to join the chase, yet by the end of the opening lap, the Dutch leader already had a 25-second advantage. Meanwhile, Van Aert, despite a torn bib from his earlier crash, began a relentless pursuit through the field.
By the second lap, Van der Poel had extended his lead further, with Nieuwenhuis now joined by a group of Belgians including Vanthourenhout, Sweeck, Emiel Verstrynge, and Thibau Nys. Van Aert, still making up ground, eventually bridged to the group, showing he was back in contention for a podium spot.
At the halfway mark, Van der Poel remained untouchable, even riding through a front tire puncture without issue. Behind him, Van Aert launched a powerful attack, briefly distancing Nieuwenhuis and Nys, securing his hold on second place. Though he was in fine form, the gap to Van der Poel remained unchanged at around 45 seconds, making a comeback impossible.
Van der Poel leads from the front
Van der Poel was quick to seize control of the race, aware that the Liรฉvin course demanded an early advantage. โI saw yesterday in the U23s, where Tibor del Grosso won, that it would be best to be at the front and just do your own thing, especially on this course, because it was very tricky. I wanted to quickly get a lead to discourage the chasers,โ he said.
A fast start saw him establish a gap early, despite Toon Aerts briefly moving ahead. Once Van der Poel regained the lead, he never relinquished it, extending his advantage lap after lap. Even a mid-race puncture failed to disrupt his rhythm. โI had a flat tire after passing the first checkpoint, so I had to ride around with a flat front tire for a long time. That cost a lot of energy. After that, I also asked for a higher tire pressure to be sure,โ he explained.
Crossing the line unchallenged, Van der Poel saluted his Dutch fans, holding up seven fingers to mark his achievement. โThe record had been standing for a long time. I used to hope to equal it one day, but I could not have imagined that I would succeed. That is very special,โ he said. โI am going to enjoy this one first,โ he added, confirming he would take a week off before resuming preparations for Tirreno-Adriatico or Paris-Nice.
Van Aert recovers but falls short
Van Aert’s chances were compromised from the start. Boxed in on the first lap, he struggled to find space before colliding with a fence and ripping his bib. The Belgian described his tough opening laps: โI got boxed in completely in the first corner and was held up a lot afterwards also. It took quite a while before I had some freedom. I had a few almost crashes, I would say.โ
Despite the setback, Van Aert fought his way through the field, moving up to second by mid-race. Though he looked strong in his chase, the damage had already been done. โI did indeed ride a very good race today. It was definitely my best ‘cross of the winter. Outside of what I didn’t control, that start, I was able to do what I wanted today and delivered the performance I had to,โ he said.
Although finishing behind Van der Poel, Van Aert took confidence from his form. โI’ll definitely take that with me. If you don’t work, we wouldn’t participate in our achievement. Itโs confirmation that I’ve gotten better and better from those ‘cross races.โ
After the race, Van Aert was reunited with a lost Garmin watch by two French children. He had assumed the device was gone for good but was grateful for its return, even if it had suffered damage. โItโs ripped apart, but my trainer will be happy to have some data from the race,โ he joked.
Nys secures bronze in first elite podium
Thibau Nys came into the World Championships uncertain about his form after illness forced him to miss the Maasmechelen World Cup. However, he delivered when it mattered, finishing third after dropping Nieuwenhuis late in the race. โI think it was the highest possible result. Behind Wout [Van Aert] and Mathieu [Van der Poel] is like a dream,โ he said.
The young Belgian had a difficult start but remained focused. โI had quite a difficult two weeks, but I knew that if I could have my level then a podium was possible. I think I did everything right last week, I gave the body the rest it needed. Then I was riding on my level again today,โ he explained.
His tactical approach paid off in the final laps. โThe moment Wout came past me, I was struggling a bit with the right lines and also the right moment to change a bike. Then at one moment, I felt that my pace could be a little bit higher than Joris [Nieuwenhuis’] and I could make a difference. I think I made the right attack at the right moment, riding the climb to make a difference between us.โ
Looking ahead, Nys believes his road racing will help close the gap to Van der Poel. โI can still improve a lot in the next couple of years and make a big step. I think my road season is going to help me a lot with that. There is still quite a big difference. You see in the last few races there is still a lot of work to do to get closer to Mathieu [Van der Poel].โ
2025 Men’s Cyclocross World Championship result
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Main photo credit: Getty