Day after tough comeback in Namen, Mathieu van der Poel is already showing his skills again

Mathieu van der Poel won Sunday on his cross country debut in Namen. The Dutchman may be struggling with heavy legs after the tricky cross in the French-speaking part of Belgium, but was already shaking the arm and leg muscles on the golf course Monday.

Van der Poel reposted on Instagram a post by Alan De Bondt, in which he neatly hit the ball in and then nonchalantly walked toward the camera. The Dutchman is known as a good golfer.

So VDP won Sunday on his return to Namen. 'I think it was pretty okay for a first cross on such a course. Of course I made a few mistakes here and there, but it certainly wasn't bad," analyzed the world champion in his rainbow jersey.

There is still room for improvement, he realized. 'I felt last year that I was just a little too good too fast, both in training and in the first crosses. So I had indicated this year that the build-up could be a little calmer, because last year I felt I wasn't improving much.'

Saturday he meets eternal rival Wout van Aert for a first time, in the cross in Antwerp.