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On Sunday, February 1st, Mathieu van der Poel claimed an eighth cyclo-cross world title, following a masterful performance that only he can deliver. A clear, controlled, almost clinical victory… followed by a celebration that generated as much discussion as the race itself. Lifting his bike, shouting his joy: a gesture deemed “arrogant” by Roger De Vlaeminck, but which perhaps above all speaks to the profound evolution of modern cycling.
By Jeff Tatard – Photos: All rights reserved
Some debates go beyond the gesture. This one speaks of time.
When De Vlaeminck expresses his indignation, he speaks of a cycling that lived in the narrative of the next day. A cycling of modesty, sobriety, where elegance consisted of winning almost apologetically. But Van der Poel’s cycling no longer lives there. It lives live. In images. In instant emotions. In sharing.
A universal visual language
Raising one’s arms, exulting, adopting a code popularized far beyond sport by Cristiano Ronaldo is not a provocation. It is a visual language. A code understood even by those who cannot distinguish a tubular from a tubeless. And that is precisely where the subject becomes interesting.
Professional cycling is no longer just a sport. It is a spectacle in direct competition with football, F1, the NBA, everything that vies for global attention. In this context, champions capable of producing strong, memorable, shareable images do not betray cycling. On the contrary, they help it to exist. Yesterday, we protected the elegance of the gesture. Today, we must protect the visibility of the sport.
Humility is not read in celebration
A champion’s humility is not measured by the sobriety of their finish line. It is read in the rigor of their preparation, the consistency of their work, the respect for their craft. And in this regard, Van der Poel is irreproachable.
What some perceive as a break with tradition is perhaps, in reality, a vital adaptation. Because in 2026, a simple wave of the hand no longer goes around the world. A strong image does.
And if this image attracts a child to cyclo-cross, a spectator to a race, a sponsor to a team… then this gesture is not arrogance. It is a service rendered to cycling. In any case, that’s what we think at 3bikes.
=> Relive in video the most beautiful moments of this eighth title.
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