• ALBUM. See the best images of Van der Poel's triumph.

Mathieu Van der Poel (Kapellen, Belgium, 1995) is already a history of cycling . With a huge and interesting asterisk: most of his career is yet to develop. With 25 years recently , yesterday he was a tyrant in the mud of Dübendorf (Switzerland) to conquer his third Cyclocross World Championship (the first won before anyone else, with 19, in 2015) , equaling recent phenomena such as Zdenek tybar and Wout van Aert With a cannibal authority, shattering the test from the very dawn, rolling alone the seven laps to the tangled circuit, without breaking when the bike had to be thrown over the shoulder, gradually widening the differences until making them scandalous: he surpassed the very young Tom in 1:20 Pidcock (first Briton to reach a medal in the modality) and in 1:45 to the winner of the World Cup, Tom Aerts .

Van der Poel's is a movie story. He is the heir of a unique dynasty, grandson of Raymond Poulidor (who died last November), his father, Adrie, developed an outstanding career and his brother David is also a professional. His genes go by bicycle and there is no land to resist him. Contrary to the tendency of the majority and despite the fact that he is already awaiting him with more and more expectation on the road - he runs for the Alpecin-Phoenix , which uses Canyon bicycles, of which the young man is the main claim -, Mathieu, who He looks like his father the colors of Holland and speaks perfectly French like his mother Corinne and his grandfather Pou Pou , he does not intend to leave the mud at the moment, where he not only dominates and has fun.

Winter tests help you expand your potency and polish your technique. Soon the classics will come , where they will also capture looks and more and more vigilance. Last year, in its first really powerful season on the road, it was already imposed in Waregem, in the Brabanzone Arrow and in the Amstel Gold Race . And closed the course sweeping in September in the Tour of Britain.

OBJECTIVE: OLYMPIC GAMES

And his results were also brilliant in Mountain Bike , the third leg of his versatility, where he faced King Nino Schurter . There he will look in Tokyo for an unprecedented deed, hardly comparable in other sports. Achieve medal both in MTB and on the road. Although you will have to seriously assess whether to take part in the two competitions. His declared number one objective is the Cross Country, although his boldness has been proven ...

Alberto Contador compares Van der Poel with Messi . And the truth is that it is accompanied by genius and some romanticism about the bicycle. His explosion in the last World Road was anthological, a bird like those before, so scarce in professionalism thanks to watt meters, heart rate monitors and total effort control . Far from criticism when he was a favorite in the rain of Harrogate and was in the good getaway, most fans applauded the broken image of the young diamond, who in a gesture of honesty decided not to leave despite the physical blowout.

Van der Poel forms together with Remco Evenepoel and Egan Bernal the trident that excites world cycling . Young people who dominate as it was not remembered, although the first two are more aimed at the classics and the Colombian to the big laps, winner of a Tour. And without forgetting other pearls like Tadeg Pogacar or Wout van Aert .

Yesterday Poulidor's grandson wrote another page in his early legend. «This victory is very special. It was one of my big goals for this season. I think it was one of the toughest tests I've run, especially the last laps, ”he admitted. But there was also a Spanish protagonist in the lands where cyclocross is religion (there were seven Belgians in the top 10). Felipe Orts was the best national, with a worthy 14th place after a breakdown. «I have left quite well, but in the first corner someone has had to give me the back, the chain has come out and the cable of the change has been torn off. I have passed the first round of the last. Knowing that the circuit was so hard I set my pace and that's how I went in the end, ”said the Alicante.

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