Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) took a thrilling win on Sunday in the Benidorm round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.
The Belgian made his winning move on the final climb of the race to distance second placed rider, Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal). Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) finished third.
World champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) looked to be in contention despite a mechanical on the first lap but a late race crash on the penultimate lap ended the rider's challenge.
The loss ended a run of ten straight wins for Van der Poel, who has been the unquestionable star of the men's cyclo-cross scene this winter. The Dutch rider finished fifth, while the win marked Wout van Aert's first World Cup victory of the season, in what will be his final 'cross appearance before returning to the road.
The win almost slipped through van Aert's fingers though, with a late crash on the final lap almost allowing Vanthourenhout a way back into contention. However, the Visma rider managed to keep his composure and take the victory.
"There's a little bit of pain on my wrist but I think it's meant to be. My mother broke her wrist yesterday. My parents got married on the 13th of July and I had number 13, and I thought 'it's my day," van Aert said at the finish.
"There was still some bad luck involved in the race but I kept going and that's the way I like it. I felt quite strong today, and obviously Mathieu was strong too, and had quite some bad luck. It's unfortunate that it didn't come down to a battle but still, when he crashed in the final I still had to beat all the others. That wasn't easy but I'm happy I was able to do that," he added.
"It's always a sweet feeling to win, but especially with the good legs today. It was my goal and it was a really nice day today. It was quite a tight race today so we'll see a tight World Championships."
Read more: Cyclo-cross World Cup Benidorm: Fem van Empel edges out Puck Pieterse in classic battle
Mathieu van der Poel was in the thick of the action from the start with the world champion forced to stop due to a mechanical during the opening section of the first lap. That left the Dutch rider down in 28th place as up ahead the lead group lined out through several technical sections.
Laurens Sweeck hit the front early on but there was little to separate the main contenders with van Aert and Tom Pidcock both inside the top 15.
By the end of the first lap Van der Poel had charged through the field and into 19th as Pim Ronhaar set the pace at the front.
Van der Poel continued to overtake riders, and used the long road climb to good effect, skipping by riders with ease as he moved into fifth on the course. By that point the front group consisted of Ronhaar, van Aert, Van der Poel, Nys and Eli Iserbyt, while Pidcock patrolled a group just a few seconds back.
The lead group was cut to just van Aert, Nys and Van der Poel on lap four, and the same long climb Van der Poel put the hammer down again, with only van Aert able to immediately respond. Nys was forced into a dismount during his chase, which allowed Pidcock into third but by the time the riders came over the line for the start of the fifth lap a new group had formed at the front with Vanthourenhout, Pidcock, van Aert and Van der Poel.
Pidcock was next to try his luck, and the British rider put two seconds into his rivals but after taking a new bike the Ineos leader was distanced at the foot of the next ascent as Van der Poel made a huge attack. Only van Aert could follow but by the end of lap seven 10 riders were back in contention.
A second issue for Van der Poel, this time a small slip, cost the Dutch rider and he was quickly distanced as up ahead van Aert accelerated from the leaders. Only Vanthourenhout could follow but on the last climb van Aert was able to distance his final rival and take the victory.
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January 21, 2024 at 10:21PM
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Cyclo-cross World Cup Benidorm: Wout van Aert ends Mathieu van der Poel's incredible run - Global Cycling Network
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