After launching his cyclo-cross season with a victory in Namur, Mathieu van der Poel was once again dominant in Antwerp despite the end of the race being disrupted by a puncture. Wout Van Aert, for his first outing, could not do better than seventh.
The duel was expected but it did not take place. On the sand of Antwerp, Mathieu van der Poel once again demonstrated that he was the boss in cyclo-cross when Wout Van Aert performed an applied recovery but without securing the podium in front of his audience. While several riders went to ground in the first straight, Laurens Sweeck took advantage of his presence on the front row to get the best start. Forced to start in the bulk of the peloton, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert had to make a big entry effort to get back close to the race lead. However, the first pass in the sand saw the reigning world champion raise his voice and put his rivals in difficulty. Wout Van Aert thus had to dismount. But Raymond Poulidor’s grandson was no safer and all it took was a corner taken too wide for the Dutchman to see his lead reduced to nothing.
But, a virtuoso on his bike in the technical sections, the rider from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team was quick to resume his march forward in the second of the eight circuit laps on the program for this stage of the World Cup. Mathieu van der Poel thus flirted with 30 seconds ahead of a group formed by Tibor del Grosso, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Wout Van Aert and Laurens Sweeck. As the halfway point approached, the latter was able to show himself more at ease on the sand to isolate himself in second position, around thirty seconds behind a “MVDP” in control. Despite a derailment on the fifth lap, a problem resolved by a chain put back in place in the middle of the bike race, the Belgian did better than hold his own against Joris Nieuwenhuis and Emiel Verstrynge, who made the difference over Tibor del Grosso and a Wout Van Aert who came through the pits to change bikes after a puncture. Which dropped him to ninth place at the start of the sixth lap.
Van Aert not spared
The rider from the Visma-Lease a Bike team embarked on a chase to move up the hierarchy. After a battle with Mees Hendrikx, he broke away from the group in which Tibor del Grosso was included to move into fifth position on the penultimate lap. At the front, Mathieu van der Poel was also forced to change bikes after a puncture. Fortunately for him, he was almost 50 seconds ahead of Laurens Sweeck and was able to get back on the track while losing half of his mattress. After just over an hour of effort, the seven-time world champion scored a second victory in two races this winter in Antwerp. He is 24 seconds ahead of a solid Laurens Sweeck when Emiel Verstrynge completes the podium 33 seconds behind the winner. Victim of another puncture to the front wheel in the final, Wout Van Aert saw his hopes of a podium disappear for a seventh place at the finish line. The Belgian will have the opportunity to take his revenge this Monday at Hofstade as part of the Badkamer X2O Trofee.
