Mathieu van der Poel immediately showed how things are going in his first appearance as a cyclo-cross rider this season. The world champion of Alpecin-Deceuninck rode alone in the lead almost from start to finish in the World Cup cross of Zonhoven, around the famous Kuil.
Belgian Thibau Nys finished second after a minute and a half. His compatriot Joran Wyseure came third.
Van der Poel, who has announced that he will play eleven times in the field this winter, will start in Mol on Monday. The expected duel with Wout van Aert, who would make his return there, does not happen. The Belgian is sick.
His superiority surprised Van der Poel somewhat, because he had mainly done endurance training in Spain during the preparation and had only ridden the cross bike twice. “I applied a slightly different approach. Also to get through this busy period a little more refreshed,” says the winner. “I’m very happy with the feeling I had today.”
Margin built up
The Belgian Toon Aerts got off to a good start and was the first to enter the field, where the Kuil awaited the riders. Even before the lowest point had been reached, Van der Poel had already taken over the lead. After one lap he had already built up a margin. Among others, the Dutchman Pim Ronhaar, third in Hulst on Saturday, and the Belgian EliIserbyt followed more than twenty seconds later.
After two rounds, European champion Nys was the first pursuer and he remained so. After a bad start, Lars van der Haar was now trying to catch up, which brought him to fifth place. Van der Poel said he regretted that there was no match with Van Aert on Monday. “Certainly for Wout, he likes it too.”
Fifth game
Zonhoven’s cross was the fifth race in the World Cup series, because Cabras’ cyclocross in Sardinia was canceled due to bad weather. The leader in the standings is the Belgian Michael Vanthourenhout.