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Laura Weislo

'From now until the World Championships, we're racing for second place' - Cyclocross specialists brace for Mathieu van der Poel's season start on Sunday

van der Poel Mathieu van der Poel Toon Aerts Namur the World Championships Thibau Nys
NAMUR, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 22: Podium / Mathieu Van Der Poel of The Netherlands and Team Corendon - Circus / Celebration / during the 11th Namur World Cup 2019 / @UCI_CX / #TelenetUCICXWC / on December 22, 2019 in Namur, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images).

Mathieu van der Poel will start his cyclocross season on Sunday at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur, and all of his rivals are preparing for the worst-case scenario: that the Dutchman continues the 11-race winning streak he's had since January 21, 2024.

The reigning cyclocross World Champion was beaten at the World Cup in Benidorm that day, but before that, his last defeat was one year earlier at the Zonhoven World Cup, where he lost to Wout van Aert.

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