‘This wasn’t pleasant’ - Van der Poel reflects on extreme cold in Mol

“I’m getting warm again now, but I suffered from the cold today,” Van der Poel said. “It’s one of my favorite races, but in these circumstances, it was really hard. After a while, my hands and feet were so cold that nothing went automatically anymore.”

“I was absolutely freezing, but you know that when it warms up again, it really hurts for about five minutes. During the last laps, I was already thinking about that,” he said, describing the sharp sting as circulation returns to his toes and fingers.

Despite the win, the Dutchman conceded it was among the toughest of his current campaign, not least because of the treacherous surface that shifted from soft sand to slick snow. He also hit the deck once, though he downplayed the incident. “It wasn’t a bad crash,” he explained. “With the sand, the snow and cold feet, I just couldn’t unclip and basically toppled over. No real damage.”

The race dynamic was shaped by an early duel with long time rival Wout van Aert. Van der Poel revealed he noticed that Van Aert crashed on one of the increasingly icy corners. “I heard it because he was in my wheel,” he said. “Hopefully it’s not serious. In some places, it was getting extremely slippery with the snow.”

Asked whether the pair might have stayed together to the finish without the crash, Van der Poel felt the battle was finely balanced. “Yeah, I think so. He looked quite strong,” he said in English. “It was going evenly, and then it’s a pity when a crash decides it. We’ll never know.”

While he handled the conditions better than most, Van der Poel stressed that the win owed as much to staying upright as to outright speed. The sub-zero temperatures reduced much of the race to risk management, with riders fighting numb extremities and dwindling dexterity on a course that punished even small errors.

Van der Poel’s post-race mood reflected the toll taken by the weather. He made clear it was a day to endure rather than enjoy. “It certainly wasn’t pleasant today,” he admitted. “I’ve enjoyed this race more on other days.”

Still, the victory extends his winning run and reinforces his dominance in the heart of the cyclocross season, even on a day when warmth, grip and feeling in his fingers were in short supply.

Van der Poel’s next CX appearance will be at the next round of the UCI World Cup in Zonhoven on January 4th, whilst Van Aert’s return will depend on the severity of his injuries.