Mathieu van der Poel has been dominant on the Cyclocross scene so far, with victories in every competition he has entered. Not even his old opponent, Wout van Aert, was able to impose a minimum of resistance to the Dutch cyclist’s impressive dominance.
“The fact is that Mathieu van der Poel is absolutely extraordinary. He stands out physically and technically. He is beautiful to watch”, analyzes the experienced French cycling commentator, Cyrille Guimard, former sporting director of the Gitane team, whose star in 1976 was Bernard Hinault.
Wout Van Aert is not yet at his peak
“Wout van Aert, on the other hand, is not at the peak of his form,” notes Guimard, although he is not sure if that would make a difference given van der Poel’s incredible current performance.
“Even if Van Aert was at the peak of his form, Mathieu would still be superior. And I suspect that Wout Van Aert is not far from his best performance. He claims he is preparing for the Tour of Flanders, but that is something for those who believe that.”
Wout Van Aert makes no secret of the fact that he is using the Cyclocross season as preparation for the spring, but Guimard expresses serious concerns about the Belgian cyclist’s level of performance. “It is a little below expectations and this comes after a road season, which was not exceptional for Van Aert. Could it be that he’s simply not in top physical shape? This is not a possibility”, concludes the French expert.
