Warning for Mathieu van der Poel: ‘I have had back pain for twenty years’ cycling

National coach Gerben de Knegt cycled on too long and is now struggling with chronic complaints

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AMSTERDAM – The sad news that Mathieu van der Poel will have to pass the rest of the cyclocross season was the confirmation of what everyone expected. the back of MvdP is more frail than he thought and hoped; the complaints causing his pain prevent him from thrashing the pedals of his bicycle for the time being. So no World Cup for the defending champion either. “That is a loss, but the most important thing is that Mathieu takes his rest. What he experiences is very similar to the back pain that I have had to live with for twenty years,” says national coach Gerben de Knegt.