'It's a shame it was decided by a crash' – will Wout van Aert recover to meet Mathieu van der Poel again after crash-marred Exact Cross?

The chances of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert completing their five-date cyclo-cross showdown this season took a blow on Friday after Van Aert crashed out of the Exact Cross at Mol, while hard on the heels of the Dutchman.

Alpecin-Premier Tech rider Van der Poel turned up to the event in his Lamborghini and went on to put down comparable power to that of his supercar, leading throughout in what was a freezing blizzard.

Both riders hit the ground numerous times on what was clearly a slippery day, but hard crash on a sweeping right-hander late in the race was clearly too much for Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who was seen hobbling as he made his way off the course and into the warmth.

Indeed, such a cold day was it that Van der Poel was reportedly in tears with the pain of it all after what was his eighth straight victory this season.

"I really suffered from the cold today," said the world champion after the race. "Mol is one of my favourite races, but in these conditions it was incredibly difficult. My hands and feet felt so cold.

"Hopefully, it's not too bad," he said of Van Aert's crash. "In some places, it got really slippery. It was a close race between us, and it's a shame it was decided by a crash."

Van Aert had grazed his knee and hurt his ankle, team boss Jan Boven told Belgium's Het Nieuwsblad, with the latter meriting closer inspection.

"He couldn't finish the race and is experiencing significant pain in his ankle. It needs further investigation before we can draw any real conclusions," Boven said. "He has minor abrasions on his knee, but that's it. His ankle is the most painful. It's so swollen, we have to see what examinations show now."

Only time will tell whether Van Aert will survive to fight another day and face Van der Poel for a final time at Sunday Zonhoven World Cup.

Exact Cross marks Van der Poel's second victory in 2026 already. He won at the X2O Trophee Baal race on New Year's Day – an event which also saw Lucinda Brand take her 13th consecutive win, and Zoe Bäckstedt take her first elite podium this season.

So far Van Aert has ridden six of his planned eight cross races this season, and the three-time former world champion has performed less well than many might have expected him to. A pair of second places in X2O Trophee and Superprestige races are his best results so far. Other events have seen him well down the top-10 and, now, DNF.

But the Belgian is riding cross for more than just the glory, his team bosses told Belgian outlet Het Laatse Nieuws.

"Wout will never be happy if he trains from October to February and has to watch every cyclo-cross race on TV," said Visma-Lease a Bike head of performance Mathieu Heijboer. "Then we'll have a Wout who's no longer interested in February. He's too much of an enthusiast for now to expect him to give up cyclo-cross."

Focussing more on the road might, feasibly be a better idea on paper, when it came to Classics preparation, Heijboer said, but added: "Everything hinges on a rider's happiness with what they're doing," with cyclo-cross helping in that respect.

He also said Van Aert was not neglecting his road duties, interspersing his off-road outings with long rides on the tarmac.

"He's definitely racking up enough [road] cycling time compared to the other road riders," he said.

Van Aert's final cyclo-cross race of the season is due to be the Belgian National Championships on January 11.