Van Aert overcomes late crash to win his first 'cross race of the season

BOOM BELGIUM DECEMBER 04 Wout Van Aert of Belgium and Team Jumbo Visma falls on a muddy sector during the 7th Superprestige Cyclocross Boom 2021 Mens Elite SPBoom Superprestige2022 on December 04 2021 in Boom Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) crashed down the hill on the penultimate lap but still won by 1:40 over Toon Aerts (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) put in a devastatingly dominant ride in his first cyclo-cross race of the season, taking out the win at the Superprestige in Boom by a huge margin over second-placed Toon Aerts (Baloise Trek).

Van Aert was unsure of how he would fare after coming down with a mild cold (he tested negative for COVID-19) this week but was immediately a level above the best, riding a steep climb where others had to run. 

Laura Weislo
Managing Editor

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.