Mathieu van der Poel has 'no explanation' for heavy defeat to Wout van Aert

Van der Poel on his way to second place at Zilvermeercross
Van der Poel on his way to second place at Zilvermeercross (Image credit: JASPER JACOBS / BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel struck a pessimistic note after his defeat at the hands of Wout van Aert in Mol, saying he had 'no explanation' for why he was so far behind. 

The four-time world champion was still good enough for second place at the Zilvermeercross on Friday, but had to watch his old foe ride away from him on the final two laps. 

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.