'It would be good for his head' – Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping cyclocross season

The 1996 cyclocross world champion said that his son could do with mental as well as physical rest. “I think it would be good for his head,” Adrie van der Poel told Sporza.

Adrie van der Poel suggested that Mathieu wouldn’t take a rest from cyclocross if he finished his road campaign early, as he wouldn’t want to spend too long without racing.

“Mathieu will not skip cyclo-cross this winter if he finishes his road season early. Because then the period without competition and pressure will be very long,” said Van der Poel.

Skipping the cyclocross season would be far more likely if Van der Poel's season extended to key targets beyond the Tour de France and into the Autumn.

“If Mathieu were to ride the Vuelta, followed by a few Italian autumn races, then it might be the right time to take a winter off from cyclocross,” Adrie van der Poel said.

He revealed that he has discussed the subject with Mathieu van der Poel multiple times, with the current world champion even pushing back against it.

“It’s not about what I think is right, but what Mathieu thinks is right. He makes his own choices,” said Adrie van der Poel.

Although he is an advocate for skipping a cyclocross season, Adrie van der Poel confessed that he hoped it wouldn’t be during the 2027/2028 campaign, as he is a course builder for the World Championships in Hoogerheide.  

The traditional circuit is aptly named the GP Adrie van der Poel, which Mathieu has won a record seven times as an elite.

“It would be nicer if Mathieu were there. But when I hear him talk, there's a chance he won't be there, because Mathieu is quite willing to skip a winter,” said Adrie van der Poel. 

Mathieu van der Poel has enjoyed another stellar cross season so far with a 100% win rate from nine races, and he’ll be looking to cement his legacy with a record-breaking eighth elite men’s World Championship victory in Hulst, Netherlands, on February 1.