The 2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships are already in full swing in the Netherlands and Belgian Wout van Aert has praised leading elite men's race favourite Mathieu van der Poel as 'Without a doubt, the best cyclo-cross rider ever.'
Himself a multiple former cyclo-cross World Champion and considered one of Van der Poel's top rivals, Van Aert will not be taking part in this year's battle for the rainbow jersey, with an ankle injury curtailing his cyclo-cross program and any remote chance that he would have done.
In any case, Van Aert went along with the majority opinion that barring major surprises, Van der Poel's current superiority is such that on Sunday the 31-year-old Dutchman is on track to go one better than the record he currently shares with 1970s Belgian star Erik De Vlaeminck. In the process, he would become the first rider ever to win the elite men's cyclo-cross World Championships eight times.
Talking in the Live Slow, Ride Fast podcast, Van Aert also said he was surprised at the reports that Van der Poel might retire from cyclo-cross after this season.
"I found it hard to believe. As dominant as he is now, I think everyone would be happy if Mathieu kept racing. It's also great to watch him. He's without a doubt the best cyclo-cross rider ever," Van Aert commented.
Unbeaten this year and already the record-holder for World Cup wins since last weekend at Hoogerheide, Van Aert said he expected Van der Poel's last battle of the cyclo-cross season this Sunday, Hulst, Netherlands, could be decided very quickly.
As Van Aert pointed out, "when it matters, I've never seen Mathieu wait, and I see no reason why it should be any different this year.
"Mathieu has already shown a hundred times that he's strong enough to ride solo for an hour."
Van Aert described the Hulst course to the Live Slow, Ride Fast podcast as a beautiful one, technically demanding and with deceptively steep climbs. For those taking part, the surrounding walls had all the feel of an arena.
He had been watching almost every cyclo-cross race this winter and would follow both the elite men's and women's events this weekend, Van Aert said. His favourite for Saturday's elite women's race, like most fans, was the Netherlands' Lucinda Brand, a winner of the World Championships back in 2021 and almost as dominating in the women's cyclo-cross this season as her compatriot in the men's
"You can't make it any more exciting than it is," Van Aert said about Van der Poel's chance to make history on Sunday.
"Mathieu is a cut above the rest. During the Maasmechelen World Cup [January 24], it seemed like he was even better than he had been during the Christmas period.
"If he'd ridden any faster on that course, he'd start knocking the poles out of the ground. It was really impressive."
As for who might be on the podium alongside Van der Poel, Van Aert rated several Belgian and Dutch options, including Tibor Del Grosso, who led the Netherlands for gold in the mixed relay on Friday, Thibau Nys and Niels Vandeputte.
"Niels has been very consistent this season, despite having ridden so many races. Hats off to him. He also has a very good final lap," Van Aert said.
But the reality of the situation is that with an all-time giant of the sport like Van der Poel present, racing for second best in the elite men's race would appear to be the only option for all of Van der Poel's rivals.
