The fight between the two top favorites lasts just over an hour, ten rounds of battle on points, and then Mathieu van der Poel hands out the knockout. In the last sloping asphalt strip to the finish, he shoots behind Wout van Aert’s back, to sprint unapproachably with the wind at his back to his fifth cyclo-cross world title. On the ‘home course’ in Hoogerheide, packed with thousands of spectators, built by father Adrie. “This is in my top three of the most beautiful victories,” said a cheerful-looking Van der Poel immediately afterwards.
The World Cup 2023 would be a two-way battle, it was a two-way battle right from the start. In their 188th mutual confrontation in the field – according to the statistics of the Belgian TV channel Sporza – Van der Poel and Van Aert directly challenged each other to the limit. Lars van der Haar was allowed to take the lead for a while, but from the first crossing of the Brabantse Wal, Van der Poel and Van Aert distanced themselves from the rest of the field. “The titanic battle between the two has begun,” commented former professional cyclist Jan Boven, team leader of Jumbo-Visma accompanied by Van Aert.
The dueling is called a fascinating book that Wiep Idzenga wrote in 2021 about ‘The titanic battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert’. It starts in September 2009 with the newcomers. Winner: Van der Poel. And every year there are captivating duels, in the field, the classics and the grand tours. The two now 28-year-old top riders are so superior to the rest that they now mainly use cyclocross as a ‘luxury’ training to be at their best in the spring classics. Van der Poel knew in advance that he had a slight advantage in most statistics of the cross. More victories in total (116 to 50), more world titles (4 to 3) and no less than five previous victories on the course in Hoogerheide, although in 2014 he had to leave the world title among the promises to Van Aert.
Read also: Van der Poel and Van Aert have outgrown cyclo-cross, the sport in which they broke through
About the beams
Van der Poel also built up a slight ‘point advantage’ in the first rounds of the World Cup. Again and again he made a hole of a few meters on Van Aert, who followed with pain and difficulty. “Very heavy pinpricks”, sports director Boven noted. Especially in the way he jumped over the beams, Van der Poel showed himself to be superior. Van Aert fought back and even allowed himself a first attack in round five. But neither could release the other.
A smart action by Van der Poel led to the decision in the final round. He left Van Aert in the lead, even over the beams he no longer needed to demonstrate his superiority. He did that in the final sprint. “Mathieu is a bit more explosive,” former world champion Sven Nys summarized the essence for Belgian TV viewers.
The winner himself looked ahead again. “Wout and I have been driving each other and the sport to a higher level for more than ten years. And this is certainly not our last fight. The road season is fast approaching.”