Mathieu Van der Poel seals record eighth cyclo-cross world title in style with 35-second victory over Tibor Del Grosso in Hulst
Published 01/02/2026 at 18:35 GMT
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Mathieu van der Poel sealed a record eighth cyclo-cross world title with a dominant display in Hulst. The Dutchman stood on his pedals as he crossed the finish line, letting out an iconic Cristiano Ronaldo 'siu' celebration as he became the first ever rider to reach eight world titles. Compatriot Tibor Del Grosso finished 35 seconds behind him, while Belgian Thibau Nys claimed third position.
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Mathieu van der Poel sealed a record eighth cyclo-cross world title in style with a dominant display in Hulst.
The 31-year-old Dutch star defeated compatriot Tibor Del Grosso by 35 seconds as he showed his class and experience to master the difficult course.
Belgian Thibau Nys took bronze, finishing a further 11 seconds behind Del Grosso but the day was all about Van der Poel.
He is now unbeaten in more than two years in cyclo-cross and with this victory he has overtaken Belgian Erik de Vlaeminck’s seven titles outright, which were won between 1966 and 1973.
There was also a further record broken as the home nation claimed five gold medals, also winning the mixed relay, elite women, under-23 women and junior men events.
Having broken the record, Van der Poel spoke of his "dream" as a child to become world champion once, let alone be the all-time record holder.
He said: "It is very special. I said it last week already, when I started cycling, the dream was to become world champion one day in the elite category.
"To have the most titles of all time, it is incredible."
Van der Poel screamed and stood up as he hit the finish line, letting out an iconic Cristiano Ronaldo ‘siu’ celebration.
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When asked why he opted for the celebration of the Portuguese, he said: "In Spain we do a lot sprints for the town signs and a lot of different celebrations but the ‘siu’ from Ronaldo is one of the most used, so I thought it was the right moment to pull one."
Van der Poel made a mockery of the course that took out several of the elite women riders the day before, with heavy crashes the story of the day.
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His six previous wins at Hulst gave him a clear advantage over the rest of the field, which did not contain three-time champion Wout van Aert, whose absence was a result of fracturing his ankle last month.
The plan to lead from the front from the get-go was followed by Van der Poel to a tee and he was thankful there were no mechanical issues that could ruin his world championship bid.
He added: "It is always difficult to say, I think maybe last weekend, I felt a bit better, a bit stronger but it is also, this course is completely different.
"I really tried to manage my bike and my tires and everything as good as possible, so to be sure that a mechanical did not ruin the party. I did what I had to do and I am really happy that it all worked out."
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