Adrie van der Pol suggested that his son Mathieu van der Pol will miss racing "for a few months" due to an ongoing back injury, but insisted that the Alpecin-Phoenix rider's participation in the spring classic is not in doubt.

Mathieu van der Pol abandoned his second cyclocross race of the winter, the Heusden-Zolder Superprestige, before the finish line after a long-standing back injury recurred. He has not raced since, but reportedly returned to training on Saturday with a 60 km ride north of Antwerp.

According to Sporza (opens in new tab), Adrie van der Poel confirmed that Mathieu will not participate in Wednesday's X²O Herentals race, suggesting that the rest of his cyclocross campaign is in doubt.

"Mathieu is doing back exercises and resting. Adrie van der Pol told Sporza, "There is no chance that he will start tomorrow at Herentals, he will be in the race for the first time.

"I think so. It would be wise not to start cycling in earnest until all the back problems are gone."

"I think it's a good idea.

Asked if Mathieu van der Pol would be out for months rather than weeks, Adrie van der Pol replied: "I think so; there are still three months until April, so spring racing is not dangerous."

However, Adrie van der Pol emphasized that this was not a decision of the Alpecin Phoenix team, but his personal view. He said, "Ultimately, as in the past, the team will deal with it wisely. Ultimately, as ever, the team will deal with it wisely.

Mathieu van der Pol's brother David explained to Sporza that he too had been plagued by back problems this winter, and that his father Adrie had also suffered back injuries throughout his career, so it runs in the family. David van der Pol explained that back pain led to his abandonment in Hulst on Monday.

"My father has always struggled with back pain, and now so have his two sons," David van der Poel told Sporza before Tuesday's cyclocross in Gullegem." It's annoying."

David Van der Poel said the same thing as his father when he suggested that Mathieu Van der Poel needed a break from competition and training to recover.

"Of course, he's not doing very well. He has the same problem I do. He suffers after putting in the effort and during the race as well," David van der Pol said.

"He needs time to recover fully. I don't think it makes sense to resolve it quickly every time before cyclocross and then relapse again."

Like his father Adrie, David van der Poel questioned Mathieu van der Poel's winter campaign, but added that his injury did not cause undue concern for the cyclocross world champion.

"I don't think so. I think he's in good shape mentally. 'I think he understands that it's going to be hard for him to reach his level this season. I think he's calm enough and he knows it's going to take time."

Mathieu van der Pol won the Strade Bianche in 2021 and wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. He started the 2021-22 cyclo-cross season on December 26 at the Dendermonde World Cup, finishing second behind Wout van Aert, who won seven of the eight cyclo-cross races this winter.