Ex world champ van der Poel rides 200km home after Koksijde cyclo-cross cancelled

Former cyclo-cross world champion Mayhieu van der Poel didn’t let the cancellation of today’s round of the World Cup at Koksijde stop him from getting a decent ride in – he jumped on his bike and rode more than 200km home to the Antwerp suburb of Kapellen.

> Video: Insane winds force cancellation of 2016 Koksijde Cyclocross World Cup

It took the 21-year-old, winner of the rainbow jersey at Tabors in the Czech Republic, around six hours to complete the ride.

As he remarked in a hashtag when posting the ride to Strava, it was a “little more than expected.”

While the wind may have put paid to the racing at Koksijde, it provided ideal conditions across the border in van der Poel’s native Netherlands for the 2016 Dutch National Headwind Championships.

Many riders agreed with the UCI’s decision not to hold the race, with footage posted to Twitter showing the wind dismantling a marquee.

However van der Poel himself wondered if it hadn’t been made too hastily, noting that the cancellation was announced four and a half hours before the scheduled start time.

He said that the “decision was made way too fast in my opinion,” adding, “they predict less wind this afternoon.”

While the wind may have put paid to the racing at Koksijde, it provided ideal conditions across the border in van der Poel’s native Netherlands for the 2016 Dutch National Headwind Championships.

Now in its fourth year, there’s a gallery of pictures of the event here, and while there’s no video as yet, you can have a look at footage of the past two editions by following the link below.

> Videos: Windy weekend was perfect for Dutch National Headwind Cycling Championships