Tomorrow Mathieu van der Poel will make his comeback in Koksijde after three months of injury woes. After his crash in the Tour de l'Avenir, the reigning world champion has been suffering from a knee injury but the problems are finally behind him. "I think I'm ready for my comeback now," he told Algemeen Dagblad.

In early October, Van der Poel underwent surgery to remove the upper fascia on his kneecap. "There is still some fluid in my left knee, but I'm am not bothered by it," admitted the 20-year-old Dutchman. "I have no fear. In the last weeks, I have again tested my knee in earnest. It is no longer an issue."

Although Van der Poel is not afraid of physical discomfort, he will still be nervous at the start line Koksijde. "I do not really know what to expect. That feeling makes me more nervous than I was last year for the Worlds."cHe does not expect to enter into direct competition with Wout van Aert. "I carefully aim for a place in the top ten, but it can also end as a huge disappointment after the intensive work of the last weeks."

Van der Poel is frustrated to barely have shown his rainbow jersey but stresses that the season is far from over. "The overall World Cup and Superprestige are gone which is a shame. But the championships are still to come. Yes, I can still be world champion. There's still so many nice things to win."