The Superprestige series opener could not have been more exciting with a splendid duel between young cyclo-cross giants Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) and Wout Van Aert (Creland-Vastgoedservice) in Gieten, Netherlands. The Dutch champion Van der Poel came out victorious when World champion Van Aert dropped his chain after a tremendous sand duel just before the finish.
Last year's overall Superprestige winner Van Aert held on to second place ahead of fellow youngster Laurens Sweeck (ERA Real Estate - Circus).
It's the second win in Gieten in the Elite Men category for Mathieu van der Poel, his first came in 2014, but it was an emotional victory after a disappointing world championships last season and a knee surgery that delayed his start to the year.
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"All the things from the last few months were coming together. I didn't expect this even though this course perfectly suits me as it wasn't too tough. It's no fun to need surgery again before the start of the season," Van der Poel told Telenet Play Sports. It was the second year in a row he needed surgery on his knee, this time at the end of July.
The Beobank-Corendon rider hit out hard in the early part of the race, showing that he is on form after a delayed start to the season, and only Van Aert could follow. The pair traded jabs, with Van Aert stronger in the sand, and Van der Poel able to ride back on the grass.
Each rider had his mistakes - Van der Poel tumbled while bunny-hopping the barriers and Van Aert chose a poor line in the sand and had to dismount and run. But they were equally matched, and briefly called a truce to the relentless attacking on the penultimate lap, allowing Laurens Sweeck (ERA-Circus) to rejoin.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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