Mathieu van der Poel ‘not bothered’ after winning streak ends

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) might be the most dominant rider in men’s cyclo-cross this year but his incredible winning streak finally ended on Sunday with defeat in the Benidorm round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.

The Dutch rider had won his first ten races of his ‘cross season and looked unstoppable as the circuit moved to Spain with the World Championships just a fortnight away. However an early mechanical and a late crash saw Van der Poel slip out of contention with a fifth-placed finish his reward. 

Arch rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) had his own mechanical mishap and appeared to lose his saddle after a crash on the final lap but the Belgian hung on to take the win on what was his final cyclo-cross race before switching back to the road.

Read more: Cyclo-cross World Cup Benidorm: Wout van Aert ends Mathieu van der Poel's incredible run

“It’s better to have the bad luck now. It’s a super hard race and I didn’t have the freshest of legs but I thought that winning might still be possible, even though it would have been difficult,” Van der Poel said at the finish.

The 29-year-old's early mechanical saw him drop to 28th place on the opening lap but his raw power and confidence allowed him to cut through the field and within two laps he was back amongst the favourites. An 11th straight win looked on the cards when he repeatedly accelerated on the long road climb that punctuated each of the nine laps around Benidorm, but he was unable to snap the elastic, with Van Aert always nearby.

A general regrouping took place inside the final two laps with around a dozen riders in contention, but a fall saw Van der Poel hit the deck, and when Van Aert made his winning move the Alpecin rider was too far from the front to respond.

“I hit a big hole. I thought it was going to be softer but it wasn’t and I ended up on the ground. At that point, I knew it was over. I’m okay but my shoulder is a bit sore,” he said.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Van der Poel said when asked about his run of victories coming to an end. "I like to win but I knew that it had to end someday. This is a super difficult race to win, it’s so hard to make a difference. I have to be satisfied with my place today."

He might not have won, but Van der Poel can be reassured that his form remains in check. Had the road climb been steeper, or just a little longer, he could have made the difference.

“That stretch is too short to release a rider like Wout. It is also quite short, and the only one where you can really lose your strength. It's a shame of course, but it doesn't keep me awake at night. I didn't really hurt myself, that's not too bad. My shoulder is okay, I can continue training."

Van der Poel will compete in the final round of the World Cup before taking aim at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships that take place over the first weekend of February.