🎥 Van Aert, get ready! Van der Poel completes monster training ahead of cyclo-cross return (with Philipsen on his wheel)

From Ovett's Strava profile, it’s clear that Van der Poel is leaving nothing to chance. He’s going all-in for his seventh cyclo-cross world title, putting in the hard work in Spain. The result? A training session covering over 255 kilometers in 7 hours and 16 minutes. Naturally, the terrain around his training base in Calpe wasn’t flat: the ride included 3,372 meters of climbing. An average speed of over 35 kilometers per hour is highly impressive under these conditions.

Footage of the ride can be seen on the Instagram page of Ovett, who was born in England but represents Australia. In the video, Van der Poel is leading the charge alongside Stefano Museeuw (son of Johan Museeuw), Luke Verburg, and Alpecin teammates Gianni Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian sprinter makes a hand gesture to show just how hard his Dutch teammate is pushing the pace — indeed, Van der Poel is going full throttle. "A joy to ride with such engines," Ovett commented under his video. Previously, a YouTuber experienced firsthand how hard Van der Poel can push, attempting to follow the classics king during a training session.

On Saturday, after a four-week break, Van der Poel will return to racing at the Maasmechelen World Cup. His last race was in Besançon, after which the cyclo-cross star took a break due to a rib injury sustained at the Azencross in Loenhout. Following the Belgian World Cup event, he will head to Hoogerheide in the Netherlands, where his final race before the World Championships is scheduled. At Liévin, the 30-year-old superstar will logically be the top favorite for the world title.