The 29-year-old Dutch cyclo-cross specialist Mathieu van der Poel fails to keep count of his laurels. Inarguably the best cyclo-cross rider whose winning streak none could challenge until the latest race to open the season 2024. Hailing from a family of national and international cycling champions, Poel maintained his dominance in 2023, starting at the X20 Trofee Herentals cyclo-cross race.

Fast forward to another season-starter, the slippery course didn’t pose a threat to the champion racer, who shifted his Belgian teammates to second and third and US counterparts farther. With the 2024 Paris Olympics in mind, Poel is just in warm-up mode.

Paris Olympics 2024 girds up to welcome Mathieu van der Poel

At the X2O Trofee Hamme, it’s the reigning champion with the solo victory again. This marked a remarkable 11th victory for the phenom in this season. It’s time to celebrate his 160th gold in his elite cycling era. X2O Trophy hasn’t seen him out of the podium in all of its four starts. Michael Vanthourenhout was just 16 seconds from the final mark when the aftermath of his tempo drift placed him in second. Moving on, there’s Poel’s teammate Eli Iserbyt having edged out rivals for third. But the fifth finisher Lars van der Haar was left upset on account of his X2O Trophee series leadership.

In his career spanning over 15 years, Poel finally heaved a sigh of relief after getting up from his recent loss. Said in an interview, “It was quite OK after two good weeks of training in Spain. I felt I did a lot of work, so hopefully I’ll have my best legs next week”. For a multiple record holder, whatever’s ‘OK’ is great to many. But let’s look back at World Cup Benidorm, where his break of streak took place.

The Benidorm was one-of-a-kind

At the start of the race itself, the 29-year-old phenom saw himself on the 28th after facing a mechanical. An upsetting start further dimmed his spirit and placed him in fifth in the end. But in the penultimate lap, he could sense his race closing out with a defeat.

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He had said after, “In the beginning, my chain came off, and I had to chase, but that was OK…. after the sandpit, I hit the spot a little too much with my shoulder, and I knew it was over.” But he had hoped for a win, nevertheless. “…. maybe winning was still possible; it would have been difficult,”. But his winning streak “had to end someday” and he was well aware of that. With a fresh start with the recent solo victory, we hope to see 2024 turn into a path-breaking year for him.

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