Van der Poel assails sand for fourth Cyclo-cross World title

UCI Cyclocross World Championships 2021 Elite Men Oostende 31012021 Mathieu Van der Poel NED Alpecin Fenix photo Nico VeerekenPNBettiniPhoto2021
Mathieu van der Poel conquered the sand to win his third consecutive Cyclo-Cross World Championship title for elite men (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) won the much-anticipated duel against Wout van Aert (Belgium) on Sunday afternoon in the sand of Ostend, Belgium, and prolonged his possession of the world title for a third year in a row.

With their thrilling sprint for the victory in the Tour of Flanders in the back of everyone’s mind, the question was how this first major duel since the October road race would unfold.