Van der Poel skips Benidorm cyclocross ahead of Hulst Worlds

Mathieu van der Poel will not ride the UCI Cyclocross World Cup round in Benidorm, Spain, on January 18. Currently out in Spain training with his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates, the World Champion will miss the event in Benidorm for the second year running after winning the inaugural edition in 2023.

Van der Poel's participation in Spain had been dependent on his road preparations, according to the team, when the Dutch rider's schedule was initially announced.

The Dutch rider currently leads the World Cup standings on 200 points with just three rounds remaining, but is likely to slip out of top spot after Benidorm, with Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout within 15 points of the World Champion. 

So far, it’s been an immaculate season for Van der Poel on the cross bike with a 100 per cent win rate from nine starts. 

If Van der Poel had started in Benidorm, he would have been returning to the location of his last cyclocross defeat, when he finished fifth in January 2024 after a crash on the penultimate lap cost him the chance to fight for the victory. 

The World Champion is on a 20-race winning streak and will aim to extend it at the upcoming Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide World Cup rounds on January 24 and January 25, where he is the reigning winner at both.

Van der Poel's cyclocross season culminates with the World Championships in Hulst, where he is favourite to win a record-breaking eighth elite men’s rainbow jersey.

Nys was victorious in Benidorm twelve months ago and will be aiming to strike for victory once more, which could boost his chances of winning the World Cup series overall for the first time as an elite. Meanwhile, Van der Poel's first and only World Cup overall victory came during the 2017-2018 season