Mathieu Van der Poel reigns supreme over Wout Van Aert with fourth straight win in first cyclo-cross duel of this season
Updated 27/12/2024 at 16:49 GMT
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Mathieu van der Poel continued his perfect start to the cyclo-cross season with his fourth victory in four races, this time at Exact Cross Loenhout just a day after victory in Gavere. He showed his class with a solo move from the first lap and, despite a mechanical and a crash, couldn't be brought back. Longtime rival Wout van Aert suffered a late crash to put him out of contention for the podium.
CHAOS in Loenhout as Van Aert comes off twice, Van der Poel also crashes but takes victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mathieu van der Poel's bid for a record seventh cyclo-cross world title continued to gather steam as he won his fourth straight victory of this season on Friday.
The Dutchman defeated rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in their hotly-anticipated first duel of the 2024-25 season at Exact Cross Loenhout, with both riders suffering setbacks.
Van der Poel recovered from losing time during a bike change in the third lap, while Van Aert had been well-placed to challenge for the podium but crashed on the final lap and could not make up the ground, eventually finishing fourth.
"It was a difficult race, it wasn't easy to make the difference," Van der Poel, who rides for Alpecin-Deceuninck, said. "It's a course where it's difficult to really ride much faster than someone else, because then you quickly make mistakes. But I think it's a nice circuit.
"I had cold hands for the first time so it was definitely the toughest 'cross race so far, especially after the tough cross yesterday [in Gavere, which he also won]."
European champion Thibau Nys (Baloise-Trek) was second, beating Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) in a two-up sprint for the line.
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'He is down' - Van Aert hits the deck in gripping Exact Cross battle
Video credit: TNT Sports
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Exact Cross Loenhoet was Van der Poel and Van Aert's first meeting of this cyclo-cross season after illness ruled the Belgian out of last week's Superprestige Mol race.
In the past the duo have contested some close battles, but here Van der Poel largely looked untouchable, as he has in every race he's contested so far with four wins from four.
He soloed away on the first lap while Van Aert made two small mistakes in the opening two laps, closing the gap in the mean time but again slipping back.
Sweeck was next to chase down the Dutchman after Van der Poel suffered a mechanical due to a broken saddle, forcing him to change bikes.
But the effort of that chase told and Van der Poel managed to pull away once more. This time he stayed away for good, building up a 30-second advantage, despite sliding out again later on the damp and slick course.
Behind him, a fight for the remaining podium spots unfolded as Nys caught Sweeck on the penultimate lap, bringing Van Aert with him, before the Visma-Lease a Bike rider chose the wrong line and crashed on another turn. He was soon back up and unhurt but had conceded too much time to sprint for second or third place.
Sweeck opened up a long-range sprint but ran out of gas, slamming his handlebars in frustration as Nys easily came past him for second place in the closing 100 metres or so.
Aside from Van der Poel and one other, it was an all-Belgian top 10, with Nys and Sweeck 14 and 15 seconds back respectively and Van Aert 36 seconds down. Brit Thomas Meln (Project 1) was the only other interloper, finishing eighth, 1:27 behind the winner.
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