The most hotly-anticipated cyclocross world championships race in years certainly lived up to its billing this afternoon, as Mathieu van der Poel outsprinted Wout van Aert to win his fifth world title after a thrilling, tactical duel in Hoogerheide.
Aided by a strong start by Dutch teammate Lars van der Haar, which strung out the group on the dry, fast course , the 28-year-old accelerated hard on the flyover during the first lap, forcing Van Aert into a brief flurry to close the gap.Van der Poel continued to press ahead, Van Aert acting as his pale blue shadow, as cyclocross’ Big Two underlined – not they needed to – their supremacy over the sport.
Then, with just over three laps remaining, the race ignited once again, Van der Poel launching a prolonged attack on the course’s main hill and over the planks. But still, the calm, collected Van Aert could not be dislodged, ushering in another spell of relative ‘respite’ and tactical intrigue. “It’s incredible. This is for sure in my top three of the nicest victories of all time. I’m going to remember this for a long time.
Just behind the era-defining duo, Iserbyt provided the Belgian team with some sort of consolation by besting Van der Haar for the bronze medal. “I think everybody knows the story; we pushed each other already for ten years already,” Van der Poel – the victor on this occasion – told reporters at the finish.
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