Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin-Desseuninck) made light work of the tough sandy course at the X20 Trofee Koksijde on Thursday, winning for the ninth time this winter on the cyclocross circuit.

Dutch rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who finished third in Koksijde, has scaled back his commitment to cyclocross this winter in order to perform at his best in the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Van der Pol, by contrast, has shined this winter and will continue his cyclocross campaign through next month's World Championships in Tabor.

Speaking to reporters after the race in Coxaide, however, Van der Pol stressed that his main goal for the early part of 2024, like Van Art, is to finish well in the spring classics. [According to Het Laatste Nieuws, van der Pol said, "It is very difficult to say what percentage I am in shape, but I can certainly improve for the World Championships. "My training during the cyclo-cross season was very good, but since Herentals I've trained very little. I just did 'cross."

"After Zoghoven (Sunday) I will go back to Spain to make final adjustments for the World Championships. How much more can I increase ...... I won't know that until I ask my trainer. First the World Championships and then the spring. In any case, my peak should be in the spring. That is the most important thing."

Van der Pol won his fifth cyclo-cross world title, winning Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix before taking the road title at the world championships in Glasgow.

The Alpecin-Desseuninck rider could start his 2024 road campaign at the Volta Ao Algarve in February.

The rest of the campaign is less clear and will largely depend on his ambitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Dutchman has indicated his intention to skip the Tour de France if he competes in both the MTB and road races in Paris.

However, on Thursday in Coxaide, Van der Pol only had his eyes on the dunes directly in front of him, and he dominated the opening lap to win by 1:20 over Pim Longhaar (Valoise Trek Lions) and 1:43 over Van Aert.

"Coxsayde is always one of the hardest races to lead. Once you get into the sand section, you lose the line," Van der Pol said.

"Twice I did well in the sand and soon I had a good gap. After that I ran my pace, but Pim Longhaar was closing in on me so I had to keep going."