One of my late fall/winter pleasures is watching cyclocross racing on the streaming platforms of Max or YouTube. Sipping warm coffee while watching racers complete several laps of a complex course, usually in the cold weather of Belgium, the Netherlands, or France, has become as important to me to watch as any of the traditional road cycling events.
The riders navigate mud, sand, stairs, ramps, uphills and downhills, and even sections where running (complete with mounting and dismounting) is the only way to move forward. Oh, and don’t forget the pits where there’s a ballet of bike exchanges, swapping machines with caked-on mud and sand for a new, fresh and clean bike – which in most races doesn’t last for long. A rider must strategically time a switch so as not to lose too many places.
Cyclocross is its own distinct flavor of bike racing – a kind of a distant cousin to traditional road cycling, offering different kinds of crashes: think slips in mud, spills in sand, and the occasional tumble over barriers or other riders.
Cyclocross is a community event where spectators cheer from the sidelines, often with cowbells in hand, creating a party atmosphere. Families gather to watch and participate, making it a sport for all ages. It’s not uncommon to see kids emulating their heroes on smaller, kid-sized bikes – of course not on the main circuit.
The cyclocross season can mean different things to different riders. Some are there strictly because it is their speciality, and wins are evenly distributed among riders as rivalries and heroes emerge. But then, a rider named Mathieu van der Poel enters the picture. The reining world cyclocross champion, as well as a former world road racing champion (2023) and Tour de France stage winner, enters races well into the season and begins to dominate.
Van der Poel, was born in Belgium but is a Dutch rider. His name is synonymous with road racing and cyclocross royalty. He has cycling in his DNA. The son of Adri van der Poel, a cyclocross world champion and Tour de France stage winner himself, and the grandson of Raymond Poulidor – known as “the Eternal Second” – always competitive in the Grand Tour, but never the overall winner.
MVDP’s versatility and sheer talent make every race he enters a sight to behold. This season is no exception as the first two races he entered, Zonhoven and Mol-Zilvermeercross, saw his dominating presence was clearly visible. From the start of the race in Zonhoven to the end of the first lap he had opened a lead of over 20 seconds. By the end of the 2nd lap he was ahead by over 30 seconds, eventually winning the race over the 2nd place rider by a minute and a half. The Mol race was slightly tighter in the beginning of the race but in the end MVDP won, again by over a minute in a 60 minute race.
To give you a taste of what you can look forward to in watching this world class competition, here are the highlights from the Zonhoven race that took place on December 22, 2024. I’ve already spoiled the result, but the performance is no less compelling – OK at least to me.
Happy Crossmas!
Also here’s a quick preview of the upcoming Cyclocross Worlds in Liévin, France on January 31, 2025…
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