There were no games, or 'cat and mouse' tactics at the Jingle Cross World Cup Cyclo-Cross race. There was just Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) hammering away at the front of the field winning his first World Cup of the season with an impressive display of force.
Van der Poel's strategy appeared to have one goal, demoralize the competition. Van der Poel jumped off the start line grabbing the holeshot and an early lead.
"It's a matter of getting in your pedal right away," Van der Poel said matter of factly about his start. "There was a little bit of an advantage because there is only one ride-able path through the stones at the start line and it was good for me."
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High temperatures and a 3 PM start time meant riders were forced to contend with peak sun on a bright summer day. Riders were showing up at the start line with bottles and ice packs and even the seemingly invincible Van der Poel appeared concerned with the temperatures.
"Today was less hot than the previous days," Van der Poel said. "We don't normally have this kind of weather in Belgium during cyclocross season, so the conditions are hard. For me today it was getting warmer and warmer each lap."
Van der Poel established an early lead attacking the field on Mount Krumpit the very first lap. Nobody could match the 22-year-old Dutch rider who missed last year's race due to a knee injury. Van der Poel grew his lead each lap, charging every hill and riding with his customary reckless abandon in the early laps down the backside of Mount Krumpit. His fast descents helped Van der Poel grow his lead but also caused some problems in the opening laps of the race.
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