Mathieu van der Poel was uncertain until Friday whether he would participate in the World Cup stage in Benidorm: in the end, the Dutchman said yes and today dominated once again, securing his tenth seasonal victory in cyclocross.

Without too much effort, the world champion broke away from all his competitors and ultimately won solo: the race was easier than expected, and he himself admitted this, explaining that he thought the victory would be decided in the final lap.

"I didn't expect to ride alone at the front for so long," Van der Poel said: "Usually this race is always decided in the last lap. I thought it would be the same this year, even though the track conditions were somewhat different."

The Dutchman made the difference at the end of the first lap, after he and his teammate Tibor Del Grosso had gained a good advantage due to Toon Aerts' crash. "Tibor had an excellent first lap. I decided to launch immediately and pushed hard for one or two laps, hoping the riders behind me would start looking at each other. And that's exactly what happened."

Van der Poel also said he always wants to give his maximum, because in cyclocross, if you lose your rhythm even for a moment, you risk being swallowed by the group. "You must always push because otherwise you risk getting stuck in a crowd for an hour. I think I made a step forward today. I felt a bit tired after two weeks of training, but I still managed to have a good race."

Tomorrow Van der Poel will turn 31 and will celebrate in Spain, but without forgetting his training. "How will I celebrate? With a long training session. But it's something I enjoy doing. We'll stop for a long coffee along the way, which works for me. It's always nice to be able to train, especially when the weather is on your side."