Born on January 19, 1995, in Kapellen, Belgium, Mathieu van der Poel was destined for a career in the saddle, given his prestigious cycling lineage. His father, Adri van der Poel, was a professional cyclist and a multiple Dutch national champion. His grandfather, the renowned French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, had an illustrious career, including winning the 1964 Vuelta a España and achieving runner-up and third-place finishes multiple times in the Tour de France.
Mathieu van der Poel: From the pitch to the saddle
Van der Poel initially started his sports career in football and was even on track to join the first-division Dutch club Willem II. However, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue cyclo-cross instead.
The young Van der Poel made an early mark in the sport with a host of victories at the junior level. He won junior Dutch, European, and world titles, signalling his impending dominance in the sport.
In 2014, he signed his first professional contract with BKCP-Powerplus, which later became Corendon-Circus. He didn't take long to make an impact, becoming the youngest cyclo-cross world champion at the age of 20 in his debut season in 2015. The rising cycling star then suffered a blow, injuring his knee during a fall, which restricted his participation in the following season.
Van der Poel brushed the setback aside, making a promising return to the cyclo-cross scene in 2016, finishing fifth at the World Championship behind a triumphant Wout van Aert. Another injury and a subsequent knee surgery kept him out for the 2016-2017 season.
The Flying Dutchman bounced back with aplomb during the 2017-2018 season, winning the overall ranking of the Cyclo-cross World Cup. He won 32 races and reached the podium 38 times during this season.
Van der Poel has achieved several significant victories in road cycling, including winning the Amstel Gold Race in 2019, the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and 2022, and the Strade Bianche in 2021. He is the first Dutch rider to become a champion in cyclo-cross, cross-country mountain biking, and road cycling.
Mathieu van der Poel's rivalry with Wout van Aert
Between 2015 and 2023, Van der Poel and Van Aert had one of the most intense rivalries in cyclo-cross history. Their battles took place at various locations, from Tábor in the Czech Republic to the sandy shores of Ostend in Belgium. The two rivals almost completely dominated the cyclo-cross world championships for nine consecutive years.
In 2015, the Dutch ace won his first of five cyclo-cross world titles in the Czech Republic before Van Aert dominated the event, winning the world title for three years on the trot.
Van der Poel turned the tables, emulating his Belgian rival, claiming the world cyclo-cross crown in 2019, 2020, and 2021. In 2022, Tom Pidcock of Great Britain upset the duo to take the spoils before Van der Poel reclaimed his title in 2023 for his fifth gold in the event.
While he was a strong contender for the** Tokyo 2020 Olympics** in mountain biking, a nightmarish crash forced him to withdraw from the competition.