Mathieu van der Poel showed himself for the first time on Sunday on the course of the World Cycling Championships in Hoogerheide. “I had hoped it would shift a little more, but it will only get drier. It is still difficult, but not super technical. And the mistakes are punished,” said the Dutch favorite at TV channel Sporza.
It is generally accepted that the battle for the world title will be a duel between the four-time world champion from the Netherlands and the Belgian Wout van Aert, who was the best at a World Cup three times. Van der Poel did not show up on his home course on Friday and Saturday. “I don’t do that at other crosses either, so why should I deviate from it. There is not much special about the course. The conditions are fairly dry. After three laps I know enough.”
There was a lot to do about the beams that Van der Poel usually jumps over most skillfully. “But everyone can jump, I don’t think that will make a difference. Not even the choice of tires.”
“I hope we get a duel, but we have already seen that it is possible to stand out,” Van der Poel looked ahead to the battle that starts at 3 p.m. “I will have to be very good to beat Wout. I was able to do everything I wanted, hopefully I will be there.”
Source: ANP
