'I don’t get nervous anymore' - Mathieu van der Poel has fifth World title in his sights

Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel
Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel (Image credit: Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel is hoping to end his cyclocross season on a high with a fifth world title and so defeat of his eternal rival, Wout Van Aert, at the Cyclocross World Championships on Sunday.

The Dutchman has endured a contrasting winter. He won six of the 14 races on his schedule but was also troubled by back pain yet again and was beaten on a number of occasions by van Aert. 

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.