Mathieu van der Poel's rainbow jersey was covered in mud during the Maasmechelen World Cup cyclocross race but there was no doubt who was the dominant winner and why he is so likely to win a seventh world title in Liévin, France, near Lille and the border with Belgium.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider faced eternal rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) on Saturday. They went wheel to wheel for a moment during the second lap but a fall then took out the Belgian, allowing Van der Poel to cruise to victory.
Van Aert got up after flying over his bars but could only finish second, 1:14 behind Van der Poel. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) won the best of the rest, finishing third at 1:53.
Van der Poel made the “hang up the phone” celebration gesture, made famous by US tennis player Ben Shelton and by Remco Evenepoel at the Paris Olympics, to underline his dominant ride. He later revealed it was a birthday message for Evenepoel who is 25 today.
“It’s Remco’s birthday. I sent him a message this morning to congratulate him and he asked me to do this if I won today. Hence this gift," van der Poel explained.
"I really enjoyed this race, it was super nice, thanks to the crowds too. It was a real cyclocross race today," Van der Poel said.
"I'm always quite good when I come from training camps, after a training load.
"I prefer a course like this too, rather than a fast one. It's about finding your own pace. I was really good technically too today, so that's a good feeling."
Van der Poel revealed that the rib pain that forced him to miss the holiday cyclocross race was actually a rib fracture, and is ready for next week's cyclocross World Championships.
"It was OK. I could still feel it but that meant I didn't think so much about my legs," he joked.
Both Van der Poel and Van Aert had a good start to the race, avoiding a big crash mid-pack as the riders hit the off-road sector for the first time.
Van der Poel started on the second row, with Van Aert two rows further back. Both soon moved up, passing riders whenever possible. Van Aert was slowed when he hit a post during a pass but was soon back up to the world champion.
The much-anticipated duel seemed possible as Van der Poel and Van Aert went clear but then ended in a split second during the second lap.
Van Aert led down a short descent but then his front wheel sunk into the mud and he was thrown over his bike at speed. He got up and soon began to chase but Van der Poel was clear and realised it was time to up the speed.
He had been lamenting before the start about the possible pain his rib fracture could have on his cross efforts but he was soon clear and powering to victory in the mud.
Van der Poel opened a 50-second gap on Van Aert and never looked back. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) was at 1:45 after four laps, with Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) behind him before both and were overtaken.
Van der Poel appeared to float across the mud but everyone else was suffering. He rode the off-camber sector with poise and skill, staying high on the grass instead of taking the lower, muddier line, where so many riders had slipped out. He kept his left foot on the pedal and then used his right leg to push his bike along and keep going.
When the bell rang for the last lap, Van der Poel had a lead of 1:05 on Van Aert. Nieuwenhuis rode third at 1:39 as the gaps opened more and more. The time gaps stayed the same even as Van der Poel 'hung up the phone' to confirm he was ready for the World Championships.
Results
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