Van der Poel also wins the tough World Cup against Gavere, tomorrow’s duel with Van Aert

Mathieu van der Poel also won his third cyclocross this season with force majeure. In the Gavere World Cup he created the illusion that it was going to be exciting for two rounds before he left solo with the northern sun.

In the opening phase, the world champion hid a bit and let others do the work. The Belgians Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout made an impression and thinned the leading group to three riders, but they could not get rid of Van der Poel.

It was only in the third round that the Dutchman took the lead for the first time in the race, after which he never relinquished it. He immediately recorded the fastest lap of the race and left the two Belgians behind him. Far in the background, Vanthourenhout and Nys fought a duel for second place.

So far, no cyclo-cross rider has found an answer to Van der Poel’s supremacy, but that could change tomorrow. Then for the first time this season a match is planned between the Dutchman and Wout van Aert. Both top riders will then start in the Azencross in Loenhout.

Van Aert then returns from illness and takes to the field for the first time this season. It is therefore still a matter of guessing as to his level of form. However, the Belgian confidently posted on his Strava page that he was ‘back on track’.

Van der Poel is looking forward to the match, he said after his victory. “I have been riding against Wout in the field for ten years, so it feels familiar when he is there. The course does not seem to have been really affected by the rain, so it can be a fast cross. We will see tomorrow.”

In any case, it remained a one-man show in Gavere, although Van der Poel was not flawless on the tough Gavere course. In the sixth round he made a small slip, which even caused him to fall to the ground. He did not lose more than five seconds and the victory was not in danger.

“It got harder every lap and I started making mistakes,” the winner explained. “I was a little annoyed with that. The mud was getting harder and harder to drive through.”

Behind him, Lars van der Haar tried to compete for the podium with a strong advance, but in the last lap he was unable to catch up with the Belgians who were chasing Van der Poel. Vanthourenhout finished second, Nys came third. Van der Haar had to settle for fourth place.

Vanthourenhout strengthens his lead in the rankings with his second place. Van der Poel skips many World Cups and therefore does not play a significant role in the rankings. He will start next Sunday in Besançon, France.