World cyclocross champion Mathieu van der Pol has delayed his race debut by a week after a knee injury hampered his training.

The Dutchman was scheduled to return to cyclocross on December 18 at the World Cup in Lucfen, the Netherlands.

However, his Alpecin Phoenix team announced that they would delay his return until December 26, making Belgium's Dendermonde World Cup race the first event of a short but intense cyclocross campaign.

"The decision was made by the rider and team management after consultation with the team performance and medical staff. The main reason for this is that the recovery from the knee injury has taken longer than originally anticipated, and as a result, the team has not yet been able to train specifically for cyclo-cross."

Van der Pol has reportedly recovered from a back injury that forced him to miss several important races at the end of the road racing season, but the knee injury has delayed his cyclocross training.

He reportedly suffered a "deep separation" while training off-road last week, which delayed his arrival at the Alpecin Phoenix training camp in Spain and his cyclocross training.

In his debut race in Dendermonde, van der Pol will face longtime rival Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who has recently returned to cyclocross racing.

The Belgian has won all three races he has entered, including Sunday's World Cup race on snow in Val di Sole (Italy). Van Aert is currently at a training camp in Jumbo Visma, Spain, until the holiday race.

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) will ride in Lucfen on Sunday and he will also ride in Dendermonde.

Van der Pol is hoping to peak his form for the World Championships in Fayetteville at the end of January. Pidcock is also set to go to the US, and Van Aert has yet to confirm his plans.