Christoph Roodhooft shares medical update on Mathieu van der Poel — But what does this Mean for the Cyclo-cross World Championships?

Van der Poel collided with a pole in Loenhout on December 27, but that did not prevent him from winning the cyclo-cross in Besançon, France, two days later. However, the discomfort in his chest area did not go away, so the Belgian formation withdrew the Dutch champion from the X2O Trophy in Baal on Wednesday morning. Koksijde was still a question mark at the time.

After his name did not appear on the provisional start list, he came up with the message on Thursday that Koksijde would also come too soon. "This is a disappointment because Koksijde is one of my favorite races," said the world champion in the press release of his team Alpecin-Deceuninck. "But unfortunately, it comes too soon. I secretly hope to be ready for Dendermonde on Sunday, but I fear that will be a close call," Van der Poel said.

Team boss Roodhooft appeared before Sporza's camera in Koksijde to give cycling fans more details. "That bruised rib is playing tricks on him at the moment. That's a disappointment, anyway," the Belgian said. "Especially here for a cyclo-cross race of Koksijde, where he likes the course. And it's dry, so this is Koksijde. It is very unfortunate not to be there then."

Van der Poel can ride despite his injury. "He can do some endurance training on the road, that's for sure. But it has to be done slowly," says the Alpecin-Deceuninck man. After the planned cyclo-cross race in Dendermonde next Sunday, January 5, Van der Poel would take a temporary break anyway. He opts to stay in Spain but will skip the World Cup in Benidorm.

Whether we will see him in action against Wout van Aert on Sunday in Dendermonde remains to be seen. "We fear it a bit, as things currently are," Roodhooft clarified. "He's suffering. A bruised rib is not something that gets better overnight. It will gradually, but he's bothered by it now."

The World Championships in Lievin, France, are scheduled for early February, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck team boss doesn't foresee a problem yet. "That is still far away. Cyclo-cross racing is particular and requires a lot of body. It is still a bit different than training well. As long as Mathieu is recovering, I don't see the World Championships being in jeopardy," Roodhooft concluded.