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Matthew van der Poel won his sixth cyclocross title in Tabor, but admitted it could be his last, as his road races take precedence and are even more important.
Van der Poel is now just one world title away from Eric de Vlieminck's record of seven world championship victories, but that seems of little significance to him.
“Apart from the world title and fun, I don't have much left to gain in cyclocross. My focus is increasingly shifting to the road,” Van der Poel explained in interviews after his victory in Tabor.
The 29-year-old Van der Poel is now the undisputed king of elite cyclocross, but he cannot decide his future in the field alone. He drives for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, which has received a lot of publicity from its success in cyclocross, and has also received a large starting fee.
Any final decision to miss the 2024/2025 cyclocross season involves a number of factors and impacts on people. It would also reduce interest in winter discipline.
“It's a decision I can't make alone,” Van der Poel said, explaining the biggest reason for any decision to stop his bike. “But we will discuss it within the team.”
“Crossing in winter requires a lot of energy,” he said. “If it turns out I can do better on the road by doing cyclo-cross, I will do it.”
Van der Poel will soon turn his attention to the 2024 road racing season, but a final decision on his future in cyclocross will take much longer.
“We will know more about my road program in two weeks, but not yet next winter,” he said with a laugh, deferring any expectations.
Van der Poel enjoyed a perfect race in Tabor. He hit the front straightaway and pulled clear of the field to win by 37 seconds.
He completed a near-perfect cyclocross campaign of 13 victories in 14 races. His only defeat at the Benidorm World Cup came after crashing into a pole at speed, and he wanted to finish on a high.
“It was a shame to lose the world title after a season like this,” he said. “But there is still a race, and the front-runner did not win in many cases.”
“But I had good legs. I think I rode very controlled and never took any risks. There were stones thrown in a lot of places, and I tried to handle those parts as carefully as possible and kept going where I could.”
At the finish line, Van der Poel got off his bike and pointed to his Canyon bike.
“The bike did a good job, which is crucial in cyclocross,” he concluded.
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