In their final battle before Christmas, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) took an assured victory at this afternoon’s Exact Cross race, powering beyond Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) under the lights in Mol, Belgium.
The Belgian national champion said before the race that he wasn’t feeling “fresh”, but looked to be in a league of his own as he took his second win from two races this season.
World champion Tom Pidcock finished in third, completing a podium many predicted ahead of the event.
The race brought a familiar sight for followers of the winter sport. At the halfway mark, Van Aert and his long-term Dutch rival broke away on the sand-covered course, not to be seen again.
The duo spent the ensuing few laps trading places at the front of the race, while easily picking off the riders at the back. With two laps to go, the Belgian pulled away from Van der Poel, turning the screw to draw out his advantage.
From there, the victory was all but sewn up. By the time Van Aert reached the finishing straight, he was alone on the road. It would be almost a minute before Van der Poel crossed the line in second, by which time the Belgian had dismounted his bike and moved on to his media duties.
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab) on Thursday, Van Aert said: “I come from a team training camp in Spain, did material tests in Roubaix on Wednesday and now I have the [Jumbo-Visma] team presentation.”
Still, despite the fatigue, the three-time world champion was unbeatable.
In the women’s race, Shirin van Anrooij claimed her second victory of the season, finishing 47 seconds ahead of her Baloise Trek Lions team-mate and former world champion Lucinda Brand.
The 20-year-old Dutchwoman looked comfortable throughout the race, mastering the course’s deep, sandy ruts. As Van Anrooij passed the pits for the final time, she took a moment to exchange a celebratory smile with her mechanics.
Annemarie Worst (777) completed the podium, with junior world champion Zoe Bäckstedt (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) crossing the line in fourth.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
The Specialized Sale - we pick our four favorite deals in the US and UK
From helmets to electric road bikes, we highlight some serious savings in Specialized's current sale
-
Bikes of the Atlas Mountain Race 2023: from comfort gravellers to speed weapons, here’s what caught our eye
Covering 1,300km / 800mi of Morocco’s gravel roads and mountain passes, the Atlas Mountain Race demands a tech-heavy approach for its 3+ days of bikepacking racing
-
British champion Cameron Mason hoping for rain at Cyclo-cross World Championships
British national champion says patience will be the key in what’s expected to be a fast race in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
-
‘Cyclo-cross can’t exist with just three riders’ - Sven Nys on CX appearance fee disparity
Some CX riders reportedly forced to race for free due to large appearance fees handed to Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert
-
Sven Nys says Tom Pidcock skipping cyclo-cross World title defence ‘makes sense’
‘An effort to win in Hoogerheide will cost so much’ says Belgian cyclocross legend on a course that favours Pidcock's rivals
-
In celebration of Peter Sagan, cycling's rock and roll frontman
As the three-time world champion is set to call time on his career in the WorldTour at the end of 2023, we thought we would take a look back at the glory days
-
17-year-old CX rider ‘catapulted’ into layby by tractor scores top ten finish at national champs
Raph Tabiner from Warrington nearly gave up racing all together after shocking incident
-
Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel deserve big CX appearance fees, says British champ
British national champion says Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel receive high appearance fees for a reason
-
Zoe Bäckstedt obliterates all competition to become British female national cyclocross champion
After overcoming a difficult start, Cameron Mason destroyed the field to take the men’s title
-
From learning to read again to racing Wout van Aert: Ben Frederick's journey to the top of cyclo-cross
The American suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2016, but has refound his love for cycling and has ridden some elite CX races this winter
