Will we ever see cyclocross's 'big 3' race each other ever again? Van der Poel hasn't decided yet

Van der Poel had just been one of the key riders in the race that Brandon McNulty won solo. He was not tempted to carry his form into the autumn. "No, no, this was my last race today," he told Eurosport with a laugh when he was asked whether he fancied Il Lombardia.

He ends the year with eight road wins, including Omloop Nieuwsblad, the E3 Saxo Classic and two Tour de France stages. He was broadly happy with that. "I think I can be happy [with this season]. I miss a Monument, but I can't win one every year. But in general, I can be happy, and this is a nice finish to the road season."

Van der Poel spoke to Cyclingnews before a sponsor visit on Sunday evening in Canada, then flew home to Belgium. "This [The Worlds] was my last race. Now there is a visit to our sponsor Premier Tech, and then I'm going back home." When the conversation turned to the cyclocross, he gave nothing away.

He sounded just as vague to Sporza: "I don't know if there will be a comeback in the field, so we'll see." The couple shared the pregnancy news on Instagram just before the start of the Tour de France The couple are expecting a daughter, due exactly around the time of the 2027 cyclocross World Championships in Ostend, Belgium.

Last winter Van der Poel did not start his cross season until December 14 in Namur. From there he won 13 races in a row. In February, he won a record-breaking eighth elite world title in Hulst, moving past Erik De Vlaeminck.

The birth is not the only reason he might skip the winter. Van der Poel has talked openly about it before. Last December, he told Cyclingnews that cross was still his favourite thing to do, but that it was taking more and more out of him. "Maybe without cross in the winter, I could prepare better for the road season," he said at the time. He also pointed out that Tadej Pogačar does not race cyclocross, "and he's even better."

Over the last couple of seasons Van der Poel has not managed to keep a consistent edge over Pogačar, with his last Tour of Flanders win came in 2024, when the Slovenian was not there. Skipping cyclocross could help him raise his level against the Slovenian.

His biggest cross rival is not wavering. "I'll definitely be back in the mud, but for now, the bike is going into the travel bag," Wout van Aert told Sporza after the Montréal road race.

Pidcock came seventh in Montréal, a fine end to one of his best seasons yet. The Brit also confirmed earlier this month that he will miss the cyclocross season for a third winter in a row.

Pidcock said: "At the end of the 2025 road season, I thought it would be nice to get back into cyclocross. But right after I finished my last road race, I was like, ‘Nah, maybe not. It’s just too much work,’" the Brit says.

Pidcock went even further, hinting that only the chance of an Olympic medal in cyclocross would tempt him back to the mud: "If cyclocross gets a spot at the Games, then I do think I’ll still be racing”.

So Van Aert is certain to race. Pidcock is certain not to. Whether Van der Poel will suit up this winter is still to be decided by the man himself.