Relaxed Van der Poel on 'mullet', discussing cars with Pidcock and good food as the highlight of his day

First cyclo-cross race, first victory: Mathieu van der Poel immediately made his mark in Herentals. At the very first obstacle, he left his competitors behind, leaving little to discuss about the race scenario afterward. However, the relaxed world champion took the time to talk about other topics.

Regarding the race: both second-place Tom Pidcock and third-place Lars van der Haar praised Mathieu's performance. Van der Haar, a long-time rival of Van der Poel, admitted to being impressed. "I only really saw Mathieu at the start. He was incredibly fast; I was stuck with my head between the frame. I'm quite impressed with what he showed. To be able to compete like that without prior races is remarkable. You know he's good, but I had hoped it would take him a couple of laps to get into the groove. We should enjoy that," said the Baloise Trek Lions rider.

Several hours later: victory. Van der Poel himself doesn't see it as a 'harbinger' for the rest of the winter, as he mentioned. "The first time up the Skiberg, I just went all out, as I felt during the recon that it was the toughest spot. I managed to build a nice gap there. But this isn't a harbinger. Wout is also coming back, and Pidcock always needs a bit of time to get back into the groove. For me, it's still fun to do, especially after a flawless preparation season. It's also a good way to keep myself sharp and motivated during the winter," said the Dutchman.

Van der Poel arrives in his Lamborghini and makes young fans happy

A few hours earlier, he had arrived in Herentals in his Lamborghini, complete with an MVDP license plate, where he also took the time to sign autographs. After the course recon, he seemed very relaxed. "It would be nice to win and that's what I'm aiming for. I had a good, long sleep; it actually felt just like a training day. I don’t get nervous about this anymore," he stated.

In Herentals, Van der Poel's camper – next to his Lamborghini – was obviously the most popular vehicle around. There were notably many boys and girls in Alpecin-Deceuninck rainbow jerseys. Had Van der Poel noticed that too? IDLProCycling.com asked him if he felt like he was being treated as a hero, since winning the World Championship on the road. "Not so much here, but in Spain, it's more noticeable. There's more buzz."

He genuinely enjoys making the younger fans happy with an autograph. "I do my best, but race days are busy with all the preparations. Time flies, and suddenly you're at the starting line," he explained, describing how the race day zips by, new haircut and all. Speaking of the haircut, he explained with a laugh, "I didn’t go to the barber while I was in Spain, so I just let my hair grow. My wife isn't too fond of it."

Van der Poel also had a friendly chat with runner-up Tom Pidcock on the podium truck, but it wasn’t about the race. "This time, Tom and I were chatting about cars, not the cyclo-cross," he said with a wide grin. And his personal highlight of the day? Contrary to expectations, it wasn't getting on the bike or crossing the finish line. "It's going to be enjoying a nice meal later," he said, eagerly anticipating the feast. Well-deserved, indeed!