There is still a sense of mystery surrounding Mathieu van der Poel's cyclo-cross season, with the Dutch national coach saying he still doesn't know whether the star man will compete this winter and that Van der Poel's father doesn't, either.

Van der Poel has been a dominant force in cyclo-cross over the course of his career, winning eight world titles, but he has not yet committed to returning to the discipline this winter.

Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.