📸Mathieu arrives in 'his' Hoogerheide with a cool Lambo, Nys shows what his big goal Is

Van der Poel will be a top favorite in 'his' Hoogerheide, especially with the absence of Wout van Aert. The Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike finished his cyclo-cross season in Maasmechelen with second place. Despite a broken rib, Van der Poel wants to end his final weekend before the cyclo-cross world championships. Saturday, he was supreme in the Belgian World Cup, where he triumphed by over a minute.

Nys was not present in Maasmechelen. Usually, he would have been at the start, but he was ill and wanted to play it safe. The brand-new Belgian champion does start in Hoogerheide. Meanwhile, he posted a photo series of the past week on Instagram, from a house adorned with Belgian flags to images of a training ride where he rode his axles through the puddles. The series began with a photo in which he pointed to a rainbow in the distance during a bike ride. We don't have to tell you what he meant by that.

The starting list in Hoogerheide is extremely strong. In addition to Van der Poel and Nys, World Cup leader Michael Vanthourenhout is on the entry list. The Belgian will generally take the overall win: his closest rival, Toon Aerts, must win, while Vanthourenhout himself may not take any points if the Deschacht-Hens-FSP rider is to overtake him. Otherwise, the familiar names are on the list: Eli Iserbyt, Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, and Felipe Orts... It promises to be a wonderful spectacle!