Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) delivered one other exhibition on the X20 Trofee Koksijde on Thursday, as he made gentle work of the demanding, sandy course to say his ninth victory from 9 begins this winter on the cyclocross circuit.
The Dutchman’s everlasting rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), a distant third in Koksijde, has scaled again his cyclocross commitments this winter with a view to acting at his greatest on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and he’ll race simply as soon as extra, on the Benidorm World Cup, earlier than turning his consideration to the highway.
Van der Poel, in contrast, has been in glowing kind this winter, and he’ll proceed his cyclocross marketing campaign so far as subsequent month’s World Championships in Tabor, the place he would be the overwhelming favorite to select up his sixth rainbow jersey within the self-discipline.
Chatting with reporters after his newest procession in Koksijde, nevertheless, Van der Poel confused that, like Van Aert, his principal intention within the early a part of 2024 was to carry out strongly within the Spring Classics.
“It’s very troublesome say what proportion of my kind I’m at, however I can definitely enhance in the direction of the World Championships,” Van der Poel mentioned, in keeping with Het Laatste Nieuws. “I skilled very nicely for the cyclocross season, however since Herentals I’ve really skilled little or no. I simply did these ‘crosses.
“After Zonhoven [on Sunday], I’ll return to Spain to finalise my preparation for the Worlds. How rather more will be added? You’d need to ask my coach about that. We’re, in fact, nonetheless constructing – first to the Worlds, after which to the Spring. In any case, my peak ought to be within the Spring. That’s nonetheless a very powerful factor.”
Van der Poel loved a exceptional season on the highway in 2023 after touchdown his fifth cyclocross world title, successful Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix earlier than crowning his 12 months with by claiming victory on the highway on the World Championships in Glasgow.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider might probably begin his 2024 highway marketing campaign in February on the Volta ao Algarve, earlier than driving Tirreno-Adriatico as he builds in the direction of, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The rest of his marketing campaign is much less clear, and far will rely upon his ambitions on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games. The Dutchman has indicated that he’ll skip the Tour de France if he decides to journey each the mountain bike and highway race occasions in Paris.
In Koksijde on Thursday, nevertheless, Van der Poel solely had eyes for the sand dunes immediately in entrance of him, powering clear on the opening lap to say an emphatic victory, 1:20 forward of Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) and 1:43 forward of Van Aert.
“Koksijde is all the time one of many harder races to guide, as a result of once you get to the sand sections, the road is gone,” mentioned Van der Poel, who added that it hadn’t been his intention to forge clear so early.
“I rode very nicely by way of the sand twice, which instantly left me with a pleasant hole. After that I selected to tempo myself, however Pim Ronhaar was coming shut, so I needed to preserve driving on.”