Mathieu van der Poel secured a record-breaking eighth Cyclocross World Championship title in Hulst on Sunday, further cementing his dominance in the sport [[1]]. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider’s victory wasn’t the only success for the team, with multiple medals secured across various categories, showcasing a program built on a unique blend of road and cyclocross strategies. Team member Philip Roodhooft details the evolution of both Van der Poel and the Alpecin-Deceuninck program,and what’s next for the team.
Roodhooft has watched Van der Poel evolve “from a boy to a man” since his first Cyclocross World Championship in 2015, culminating in his historic eighth title in Hulst in 2026. “That’s clear on every level, just look at the photos of the athlete he was in 2015. He was a completely different person, but also the way he handles race days and pressure has changed.”
According to Roodhooft, this transformation is “a logical evolution” for someone progressing from 19 to 31 years old. “Mathieu can therefore work harder every year because he is still getting stronger as an athlete. The dominance he’s shown in winning races in recent years has only increased. In 2019 in Bogense, there was still a real duel, but now he pulls away and it’s over.”
Despite his growing dominance, Van der Poel’s hunger remains strong, which Roodhooft attributes to the rider himself. “But it’s also good for him to be in an environment that remains hungry. It’s not that we, as a team, think things are going fast enough, but if an athlete becomes saturated at some point, an environment can no longer help with that.”
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Mathieu van der Poel celebrates his World Championship title in Hulst.
Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Success Extends to Del Grosso and Dockx
“We have to be honest: Aaron and we ourselves didn’t really expect that,” Roodhooft said. “We knew he was good and he has his qualities as a cyclocross rider, but Aaron is increasingly growing towards road cycling. He started after a training camp with good condition, and after a fall in Hoogerheide, he was under no pressure. Fortunately, he quickly realized he could win.”
The impressive haul of medals brought joy to the team, but questions about whether Van der Poel will pass the torch in cyclocross went unanswered. “We shouldn’t start talking about his succession too early, as there’s no talk of succession yet. Mathieu is taking a few days off, and then the focus will be back on the road season, it’s that simple.”
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Aaron Dockx surprised with a win in the under-23 men’s World Championship cross race.
Alpecin-Premier Tech Adapts Road Cycling Success to Cyclocross
The team’s medal success at the World Championships is directly linked to the team’s development, led by Van der Poel. “We’ve managed to grow from cyclocross towards the road,” Roodhooft explained. “We’re now at WorldTour level there, in terms of teams that are well-organized in terms of performance, structure, support, and materials.”
“From there, we made the move towards cyclocross by copying and pasting what we also do on the road. That’s why we have an advantage over typical cyclocross teams, which are usually smaller in structure and sometimes even individual. That’s where we make the difference,” the team boss added.
Van der Poel’s crucial role in the team’s growth was also emphasized. “We, as an organization, can claim the merit of having established a structure where, if we put talent in that wants to work, there’s a very high probability that it will pay off.”
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Van der Poel and Alpecin-Premier Tech Look Ahead
Maintaining the Van der Poel formula requires a consistently winning mindset. “No one is certain that it will work again in the spring, not even us. You have to be aware of that and therefore enjoy these moments. But tomorrow we’ll be back to focusing on what comes next.”
Van der Poel sets the example by working incredibly hard for his successes, without letting up. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s started to enjoy the hard work more. I think he’s getting more and more pleasure from the preparation and the road to get there. It’s not that it changed at a certain point, it’s just been a process.”
“Mathieu came to us as a boy and we’ve seen him change as a person. As a result, you interact with each other differently because he’s now an adult,” Roodhooft concluded, emphasizing that the talents behind Van der Poel must rise to the level of their leader, but: “They don’t necessarily have to do exactly what Mathieu does, but riders must be willing to go along with it.”
