Daniel McMahon/Business Insider
Mathieu van der Poel's Stevens Super Prestige carbon cyclocross bike has electronic shifting, disc brakes, tubular tires, and a few custom touches.
WATERLOO, Wisconsin - The rising cycling star Mathieu van der Poel has arrived here to do battle in Sunday's World Cup Waterloo, the second round of the 2017-2018 Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup nine-race series. The young Dutch sensation won last's week opening round of the cup in Iowa City, Iowa, at Jingle Cross and is now looking to defend his lead this weekend in the Badger State before he and the world-class series head back to Europe.
At 22, Van der Poel is already a multi-time world champion on the road and in cyclocross. His father, Andri, is a former world champion in cyclocross who also won stages in the Tour de France and several classics; his maternal grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, won the Vuelta a España and was runner-up at the Tour three times.
Van der Poel is the best rider in world cyclocross so far this season, though the reigning world champion, Wout van Aert, and other top rivals will try to spoil Van der Poel's party this weekend. Temperatures will be unkind to all the riders, with the forecast calling for 85 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday afternoon - very hot for what's traditionally a fall-winter sport.
Business Insider got a close-up look at Van der Poel's bike. See the photos below.