Wout Van Aert (Belgium) made it a historic triple at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, winning the elite men’s race in Valkenburg, Holland. The Belgian was the dominate rider through the race, dropping his main rival, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), in the opening two laps before extending his lead throughout the race. The win marks Van Aert’s third straight elite world title and completed a dominant weekend for Belgium after Sanne Cant won the elite women’s race.
While Van Aert looked relatively comfortable in the muddy conditions the same could not be said for the 2015 champion and this year’s World Cup winner, van der Poel. The Dutch rider was caught by Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium) shortly after Van Aert pushed clear and eventually struggled to hold second place in the race. Vanthourenhout eventually finished second with a disconsolate van der Poel in third. Toon Aerts (Belgium) finished fourth.
"I didn’t expect this," said Van Aert, who has watched as van der Poel won countless races throughout this season. "I think it was one of the best races in my life on a bike. The running went so good. I can’t believe it that a race went like that. I expected a big battle but this was nice of course."
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The 23-year-old Belgian rider dominated from start to finish on the muddy slopes of the Cauberg and relegated the rest of the field, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the surprising runner-up, 24-year-old Vanthourenhout.
Pre-race favourite, van der Poel - who dominated the cyclo-cross season with 26 victories - only managed to lead the race for a brief moment during the opening lap.
Van Aert crossed the line while standing up straight on his pedals with his arms in the air, raising three fingers. "It’s the third consecutive world title for me. I think it’s pretty historical to do that in cyclo-cross. The names who did that before me were icons of this sport. It means a lot to come in this select group of people. I worked really hard for this. Now it’s time to enjoy it,” Van Aert said.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cyclo-cross-world-championships-valkenburg-2018/elite-men/results
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