Mathieu van der Poel left nothing to chance at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin, France. The Dutchman went his own way right from the start of the race and earned a record-equalling seventh World Championship gold, a feat only matched by Eric De Vlaeminck among men.
Starting from the fourth row, crashing on the first lap, losing 46 seconds, and dropping to 37th place at one point, Wout van Aert (Belgium) eventually took silver, finishing 45 seconds behind van der Poel. He tried to make up the time gap alone in front of 35,000 spectators, but it didn't work out. Bronze goes to the reigning European champion Thibau Nys, who was more than a minute behind the winner.
"The title means a lot to me because I made history. This record has stood for a very long time," said van der Poel. "When starting in the elite category, you hope to reach gold at least once, but I never would have imagined becoming a seven-time world champion. It's something special. Yesterday's U23 race confirmed once again that often the best tactic is to go to the front and do your own thing. Especially on such a difficult course where it's hard to put power into the pedals. It would have been even harder for me to ride in a group. I had a good start and felt very good. I wanted to build a big lead quickly to lower the motivation of the chasers. That plan worked. My front tire went flat on the first lap, and then I asked for more pressure and was very careful."
Next year, van der Poel will have the opportunity to become the sole leader in the men's World Championship titles count in front of his home crowd in Hulst. Among women, the Dutchwoman Marianne Vos has won the world championship eight times.
🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 @mathieuvdpoel
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 2, 2025
7 x Men Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion
📸 @gaetan_sportpic #Lievin2025 pic.twitter.com/bBnrlo8U3l
Wout van Aert makes a move on the finish straight! 💥
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 2, 2025
He is really applying the pressure now to see if he can do anything to close the gap on the leader. Nieuwenhuis is keeping him in check behind.
Lap 4️⃣ / 8️⃣ and MVDP is clear with +45s. #Lievin2025 pic.twitter.com/T1wfTZ8CkY
Joris Nieuwenhuis 🆚 Thibau Nys
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 2, 2025
The battle for 🥉 is heating up between these two with two laps to go. Nothing it it.
Domination from MVDP, who has a +1:05 gap on WVA. #Lievin2025 pic.twitter.com/xRBq389F54
Laurens Sweeck gets caught out on the corner! 🤸 ♀️
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 2, 2025
A close battle for the podium right now with a strong🇧🇪 group of Sweeck, Vanthourenhout, Nys, Verstrynge, plus an outnumbered 🇳🇱 Nieuwenhuis. #Lievin2025 pic.twitter.com/z0WVZWkMst
Crowd are ready, riders are ready!
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 2, 2025
Time to go out with a bang at the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships at #Lievin2025 pic.twitter.com/51Y5I3Z62j
