'I was extra cautious but it still happened again' - Van der Poel's relief as punctures threaten to derail milestone win

Mathieu van der Poel’s 50th elite cyclocross World Cup victory was certainly a memorable one for the World Champion, who had his work cut out due to multiple punctures in Maasmechelen on Saturday.

With the milestone victory that draws him level with Sven Nys on 50 wins now secured, Van der Poel could reflect on the result positively, though acknowledged that it didn't come easily.

“It's nice, but it cost me a bit more energy than I expected,” said Van der Poel on the milestone win. “I had two flat tyres, both at a really bad moment just after the pit, and it was really long and hard on the legs to get a job done. 

The first incident, which was a flat front wheel, was the most significant as Van der Poel was in the lead of the race and starting to build a gap over his teammate Tibor Del Grosso on the fourth lap. 

The timing couldn’t have been much worse as Van der Poel had to ride the majority of the lap with the flat front wheel to make it to the pits, and by the time he got a new bike, he had slipped to fifth.

Though the position he slipped to and a 0:20 deficit to his teammate Del Grosso wasn’t a major concern to Van der Poel, who was able to return to the front over the next couple of laps, before surging clear.

What mainly concerned the World Champion was bad luck striking twice, and sure enough it did, as this time a rear wheel puncture on the penultimate lap happened, but this time he was better placed to make it to the pits, and still led the race by the time he got a new bike.

“I was just calculating in my head all the sections I still have to do, and it was two times a really long, long stretch,” said Van der Poel. “I wasn't too stressed about the gap, but more about closing it and then having the chance to have a flat tyre again. After the first one, I was extra cautious, but it still happened again,” added the World Champion.

With a 100% win rate this season, and a win streak of now 22 consecutive cyclocross races, Van der Poel knew he had his work cut out to continue this impressive sequence.

“To be honest, I thought it was going to be really difficult to get the job done again, but then I changed bike and immediately, the most crucial section, I had a really good line, and then I could maintain my gap,” explained the World Champion.

In the process of winning in Maasmechelen ahead of Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates, Tibor Del Grosso and Niels Vandeputte, Van der Poel extended his lead in the World Cup overall standings over Thibau Nys, who finished 4th, to 38 points, with one round remaining in Hoogerheide on Sunday.

Van der Poel will look to seal his first overall victory at the World Cup since the 2017-2018 season in Hoogerheide, on a course aptly named the GP Adrie van der Poel. It’s the final race ahead of the World Championships in Hulst, where he aims to win a record-breaking eighth elite men’s rainbow jersey.