Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) will race Sunday's Benidorm Cyclo-cross World Cup after a late change of plan, allowing the world champion to defend his 10-point overall lead.
The decision reverses the team's position from Thursday, when they confirmed Van der Poel would skip the Spanish round to prioritise endurance training in Calpe ahead of the Spring Classics.
"Surprise, surprise," the team wrote on social media on Saturday morning. "Mathieu van der Poel will line up after all in Benidorm tomorrow. After a strong week of training, the urge to race was simply too great. Our world champion will defend his leader's jersey."
Van der Poel's initial withdrawal had been explained by the need for base miles missed during the intensive Christmas racing block. However, after a week of training, the team reversed that decision.
Standings pressure
The reversal affects the World Cup classification. Van der Poel leads with 200 points from a perfect five-from-five World Cup record this season, with Thibau Nys on 190 and Michael Vanthourenhout on 187.
A World Cup victory awards 40 points. Had Van der Poel skipped Benidorm, Nys could have overtaken him with a top-five finish. By starting, Van der Poel can extend his buffer heading into the final two rounds at Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide.
The Benidorm course has a fast profile with a substantial tarmac stretch, along with a 100m sand banks. Its proximity to the team's Calpe training base also minimised travel disruption, and Van der Poel now enters as a sure favourite.
Cover image credit: Zubiko/SWpix.com
