Van der Poel feels his body changing after turning 30: "I couldn't handle these workouts at 23"
Cyclocross
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Follow us on GoogleMathieu van der Poel won his first race as a thirty-year-old on Saturday at the Maasmechelen World Cup. Last Sunday, he celebrated his birthday. Is it proper for him, as is often said, that he no longer has the same body he had when he was 23? I do notice that I have a bigger engine," said Van der Poel to IDLProCycling.com.
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Special birthdays are also celebrated at the Van der Poel home. Van der Poel's 30th birthday was worth celebrating. Did he feel that he turned 30? "I did feel it the day after, but I don't know if that was age-related," he laughed. I did celebrate thoroughly and think it's a special occasion, so I reflect on that."
Without joking, and despite the relatively easy win in the Maasmechelen World Cup, it still seems to affect Van der Poel to see the three in front of his age. "Yes, it does," he says. "After all, I'm suddenly not in my twenties anymore; you suddenly feel older. Hopefully, I'll have a few more good years on the bike."
Read more below the photo.
Van der Poel recently celebrated his 30th birthday
Van der Poel notices natural evolution from road racing
Not that the transition of his body is necessarily a bad thing. For example, we ask him whether he has noticed that he has become less explosive with age but has gained a bigger motor. "Bigger engine, I do notice. If I were training at 23, what I trained this week, I probably wouldn't have been as good on the weekends. Now, I do notice that I can handle that. That's also a natural evolution from racing on the road."
And to think that in Maasmechelen, he was riding with a broken rib. Although it was taped up, his body could handle that, too, and he was a little more careful than usual. "In the end, I did feel it, but it didn't hinder my performance. The main goal was not to crash. That's not the intention anyway, but I maybe did this race a little less furiously than I would normally dare to do. It didn't hinder me very much, but it's slightly different than finishing endurance training on the road."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026