Van der Poel reigns supreme despite misfortune in Maasmechelen
World champion Mathieu van der Poel endured a tough day at the office in Maasmechelen. Despite suffering two punctures, the Dutchman still claimed his 50th UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup victory, finishing ahead of his teammates Del Grosso and Vandeputte.
Chaos erupted early in the men’s race in Maasmechelen. On the very first straight, Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) crashed heavily. The Belgian was forced to abandon the race immediately, received medical treatment on site and was taken away by ambulance, with fears of a fracture.
At the front, Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) wasted no time in turning up the pace. Riding at around 30 km/h, Mason, Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Kuhn (Heizomat-Cube), Van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech Development Team) and Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen – Het Poetsbureau Lions) completed the opening laps together.
Mason dropped out with a puncture at the start of the third lap. Nys then took over at the front but suffered a crash, allowing Van der Poel to move into the lead for the first time. With a fast and flawless passage through the sandpit, Van der Poel blew the leading group apart. Only his young teammate Del Grosso was able to follow.
The pair started the fourth lap together, but Van der Poel’s pace proved relentless. It was so high that Del Grosso soon had to let a gap open. Suddenly, Van der Poel faltered: a puncture. The world champion had to wait a long time at the pit before changing bikes. He rejoined the race in fifth position, 20 seconds behind Del Grosso.
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For the first time this season, Van der Poel was forced onto the offensive in pursuit. At the start of the sixth lap, he caught back up with chasers Nys and Vandeputte, still around five seconds down on Del Grosso. Not much later, the front of the race regrouped. Just after that regrouping, the world champion was forced to dismount on the off-camber section and once again had to close a small gap.
Lap seven marked the world champion’s decisive acceleration. Belgian champion Nys surged past Del Grosso and set off in pursuit of Van der Poel. Once again, the off-camber proved decisive. Nys was forced to dismount, allowing Van der Poel to suddenly extend his lead to 12 seconds. The race seemed settled, until Van der Poel was forced to change bikes once more a lap later due to a second puncture. His advantage shrank to four seconds.
A regrouping at the front appeared imminent, but Van der Poel had other plans. Immediately after his bike change, he turned the throttle wide open again, denying the chasers any chance of closing the gap in the final lap. Van der Poel was not about to relinquish victory. He soloed to his 50th UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup win, equalling the all-time record held by Sven Nys.
Del Grosso secured second place in the sprint ahead of Vandeputte, completing an all-Alpecin podium alongside the world champion.
