šĀ Get ready to hear the roar of the crowd and the splash of the mud: Cyclocross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel is officially coming back to the field.
Alpecin-Deceuninck co-owner Christoph Roodhooft confirmed the news on Sunday, stating that the Dutch superstar will make his highly anticipated cyclocross return during the intense stretch of races known as the Kerstperiode (Christmas period) in Belgium.
The Road Back to the Mud
Van der Poelās off-season has been anything but quiet. The multi-discipline masterāwho already holds the Road World Championship titleātook his downtime to the United States and spent extended time training in sunny Spain. His activities even included a high-profile social media bet hinting at a future Ironman triathlon challenge, demonstrating the breadth of his athletic ambitions even while technically “resting.”
But his focus is now turning back to the discipline where he first carved his legendary status.
Hunting History in Hulst
The entire, compact block of races in the MVDP 2025-26 season is a surgical strike aimed at history. Van der Poel has already equalled the iconic Erik De Vlaeminck’s record of seven elite men’s cyclocross World Championship titles. His winter campaign is a build-up to the Cyclocross World Championships in Hulst, Netherlands, on February 1st, where he will attempt to secure an unprecedented eighth World Title on home soil.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck team has revealed a 13-race program focusing heavily on the end-of-year rush. While his earliest possible start is the UCI World Cup in Namur on December 14th (pending his final fitness assessment), he is absolutely confirmed for the heart of the festive racing calendar. This means fans are guaranteed to see the reigning CX World Champion battle through the iconic courses of the Belgian mud, sand, and hills.
Crucially, the schedule ensures maximum competitive rhythm during the Kerstperiode Cycling circuit, including the confirmed World Cup in Antwerp on December 20th, where the season-long Wout van Aert rivalry will ignite for the first time.
Mathieu van der Poel’s return not only lifts the profile of every race he enters but sets the stage for a dramatic winter showdown as he prepares to make history. The count down to Christmas is now a countdown to chaos on the cross course!