Even Van der Poel’s father and coach are unsure about his World Championship strategy: "Mathieu likes to play dumb"

Although Van der Poel hasn’t raced in a while, his perfect record from December — five wins in five cyclo-cross events — sets the bar high. The upcoming races in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, organized by his father, will help him fine-tune his form. "I haven’t seen Mathieu since he left for Spain. We’ve only been in touch via WhatsApp or the occasional video call, and I’m fine with that," Adrie told HLN.

While in Spain, Van der Poel trained hard under the sun with his teammates and close friend Freddy Ovett. His rib injury, which kept him out of three races in a row on New Year's Day, is now fully healed. "He got better day by day," Adrie explained. "We didn’t specifically talk about that rib injury — it just takes time, usually four to eight weeks."

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Skipping the races in Baal, Koksijde, and Dendermonde was necessary, according to Adrie van der Poel. It allowed Mathieu to train on the road in Spain without the harsh impacts of cyclo-cross. "Of course, he would’ve preferred to race Baal, Koksijde and Dendermonde, but he knew a break was coming after that. When you have the chance to work on your fitness in better, more comfortable conditions, it would be a shame not to use it."

With two more preparatory races left before the World Championships, Mathieu seems on track. Still, his father hopes the Spanish training camp added an extra edge. "To be honest, I thought his performance in Zonhoven was exceptional, while the other four races were just good. Not at the same level as that first one," Adrie said somewhat sternly. "But two World Cup races this weekend and another full week of training on the cyclo-cross bike should be enough to get the right feeling and be one hundred percent ready. Let’s just say he’s got the ‘i’ written; now he just needs to dot it."

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When Van der Poel arrives in Liévin at the end of January, he’ll work with Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt, who knows exactly what having a six-time world champion on the team means, even now that Mathieu has been out of cyclo-cross for almost a month. "Let’s all just be happy he’s back on his cyclo-cross bike," De Knegt told Het Nieuwsblad. "We’ve talked about it often — he could start racing the week before the World Championships, and ride the Worlds. Three races, that's it. I'm fine with that."

Van der Poel, however, isn't opting for that. Mathieu always chooses his own path, even when it comes to race-day strategy. Wet or dry conditions? Attack early or late? He often decides in the moment. "I usually try to discuss tactics with Mathieu before the Worlds, but he always gives me his usual line: ‘I’ll figure it out during the race.’ Only when I push him a bit does it become clear he’s already thought about different scenarios."

"Mathieu likes to play dumb and can come across as a bit casual, but he’s way more prepared than he lets on," De Knegt added with a smile. "With a track record like his, that shouldn’t surprise anyone."