Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) will begin his 2019-20 cyclocross campaign over the weekend after a late start, riding mud at the Superprestige round in Ruddervoorde on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was originally scheduled to start his 'cross season at the Kiremko Nacht van Woerden on October 22, but his return to the mud was postponed after a busy season.

22-year-old Eli Iserbyt has been dominant this season, winning two out of three Superprestige races and all three UCI World Cup races.

Van der Pol, who has yet to race this season along with injured rival Van Aert, said he is looking forward to competing with Yzerbito.

"I've watched a bit of the recent races and Eli is very impressive," he told the Belgian radio program De Tribune. 'He goes away at the moment he wants to. I don't know if he is running as fast as I am.

"I think it's a shame that Van Aert is not here. For me he's always been my biggest challenger. But maybe I can find that in Yzerbito. He seems to be taking big steps forward, but the difference in level will become apparent in a few races."

Van der Pol, who has won the Superprestige Rudervoorde in each of the past three seasons, cited a busy season as the reason for his relatively late return to cyclocross, adding that he needed a break after racing road and mountain bikes in the spring and summer He added that he needed a break after racing road and mountain bikes in the spring and summer.

The Dutchman counts the Amstel Gold Race among his nine road wins in 2019, as well as being European cross-country mountain bike champion and second in the UCI MTB World Cup.

"I needed a rest and wanted to get back to a level of form that I was comfortable with. I had the impression that I needed more time to quietly build my body"

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"It's very difficult to correct a bad start to a season, and I'm not sure I'll be able to do it again.

Van der Pol has not ridden his cross bike much in recent weeks, as rest is a priority after the road season.

"It's not that bad. I think I rode three times in the woods. Nevertheless, it's especially important to get my legs moving again for a few kilometers or hours."

"I hope to work on my technique once or twice in the woods this week, otherwise I need to be well rested at the start. Normally that shouldn't be a problem. The last few years I've always been a little better prepared at the start of the season, but it's a bit of a puzzle."