Mathieu van der Poel: I'm not sure I can follow Van Aert but I hope to surprise myself

Belgian Wout Van Aert (left) and Dutchman Mathieu Van Der Poel pictured in action during the men's elite race of the last World Cup outing in Dendermonde in 2020
Belgian Wout Van Aert (left) and Dutchman Mathieu Van Der Poel pictured in action during the men's elite race of the last World Cup outing in Dendermonde in 2020 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) is well accustomed to being mentioned in the same breath as Wout van Aert but warned he might not be able to match his old foe as he makes his return to cyclo-cross on Sunday. 

The Dutchman, four times world champion, finds himself playing catch-up in the 2021-22 season, with most racers having begun their campaigns in October and his fellow road racers Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) having returned to the fields in early December. 

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Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.