Wout van Aert: If Van der Poel has his best day then you have to be on top yourself

HULST NETHERLANDS JANUARY 03 Wout Van Aert of Belgium and Team Jumbo Visma Mud during the 5th Vestingcross World Cup 2021 Mens Elite CX Vestingcross CXWorldCup Hulst on January 03 2021 in Hulst Netherlands Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in action at the Hulst World Cup on Sunday (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Wout van Aert said that there was nothing to be done to stop rival, Alpecin-Fenix's Mathieu van der Poel, from soloing to a commanding victory at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Hulst on Sunday.

The Jumbo-Visma man finished in second place at the race, the penultimate round of the World Cup, trailing in 1:31 down on the Dutchman. He retains the overall ranking lead, however, and will seal victory if he finishes second or higher in Overijse on January 24.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.