The “unbeatable” Dutch cyclist Mathieu Van der Poel became world cyclocross champion for the eighth time this Sunday, in Hulst, in the Netherlands, becoming the record holder for elite titles in this field. When he left for the “queen” race of the World Championships, Van der Poel was tied for men's titles with Belgian Eric de Vlaeminck, who had held the record for 53 years, but, racing at home, “destroyed” the competition. Van der Poel isolated himself in the second of eight laps of the 3.35-kilometer Hulst route and crossed the finish line solo, celebrating with the famous gesture of Portuguese international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Thirty-five seconds later his compatriot Tibor del Grosso, under-23 world champion in the previous two years, arrived. The podium was completed by Belgian Thibau Nys, who was third, 46 seconds behind the winner. This season, Van der Poel, one of the biggest stars in the peloton on the road, won the 13 cyclocross races in which he participated. In the last three seasons, it has only been defeated once in this aspect, by eternal rival Wout van Aert, in 2024, in Benidorm, Spain. In the 11 elite World Championships he has competed in, the 30-year-old Dutchman has reached the podium on 10 occasions, namely as winner in 2015, between 2019 and 2021, and uninterruptedly since 2023.
