The Belgian Wout van Aert again trumped his rival Mathieu van der Poel in the World Cup cyclocross race in Zonhoven on Sunday. Four weeks before the World Cup in Hoogerheide, Van der Poel of Alpecin-Deceuninck showed great frustration about the recurring back problems. He is now leaving for Spain for an already planned training camp on the road.
Van der Poel had started this cyclocross season energetically with victories in Antwerp and Gavere, and at the beginning of this year he also made a solid impression in Herentals. In Koksijde it turned out on Thursday that the back is not yet in good shape.
It was precisely that injury that made him end the season early a year ago. “It is not going the way I would like”, said the four-time world champion after the cross in Zonhoven.
Val Van der Poel
Van Aert was in a class of his own in the twelfth cyclocross for the World Cup. The Belgian from Jumbo-Visma was alone in front from the third round in Zonhoven, where a course in and around De Kuil had been laid.
Van der Poel had to chase after a fall, but the Dutchman never came close to his rival again. He finished second in less than a minute and a half. The Belgian Laurens Sweeck, leader in the World Cup classification, was third. Dutch champion Lars van der Haar finished sixth.
‘Difficult to focus’
Van Aert has now won six of the nine cyclocross races in which he met Van der Poel. The ultimate duel at the World Cup in Hoogerheide will follow on 5 February. But for the time being, Van der Poel has concerns about his back, so he had experienced the course of the cross in Zonhoven, just like Thursday in Koksijde, as “very frustrating”. “It’s hard to focus on the game. You only think about your back when you should be busy with the game. I can’t develop the speed that I would like to achieve.”
Van der Poel will train on the road in Spain. The physiotherapist will come in handy to relieve the back problems. For the time being, only a World Cup match in Benidorm (January 22) is scheduled for the World Cup.