'Insane to experience' - Van der Poel and Van Aert react to return of Hofstade cross after decade plus absence

It’s three wins in three days for Mathieu van der Poel after the flying Dutchman romped his way to victory on a sandy course in the 4th round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee series in Hofstade.

It was a special occasion for the seven-time and reigning World Champion, who recalled his memories of the Hofstade cross after a long-term absence from the cyclocross calendar until its return on Monday.

“It was really nice. It was one of the few races I remember as a kid coming to watch the professionals, so it’s nice to be back here with a cyclocross race,” said Van der Poel in his post-race interview.

Despite another excellent performance, the day was partly marred after a fan blew smoke in the face of the World Champion mid-way through the race.

In terms of the action, Van der Poel powered clear on only the second lap, with only Thibau Nys able to initially follow, before being dispatched by the World Champion. Van der Poel acknowledged the difficulties of the sandy course and the advantages of being ahead solo.

“It was just the way it went. The sand is really difficult, it’s really difficult to stick together. If someone else makes a mistake, it’s easy to open up a gap, and that’s what happened and that’s what happened,” said Van der Poel.

“On a fast course like this, it’s good to be in my own rhythm, and I found it really quickly, and I felt really good today, so I’m happy,” added Van der Poel.

For Wout van Aert, it’s only his second race of the cyclocross season, and the Belgian admitted that he needed some time to find his legs after a fast start.

“Yeah, it was a good start. I chose the right side of the field to pass, and then first lap, I needed to find my rhythm. I also made a mistake myself,” said Van Aert in his post-race interview. The Belgian slipped out on a corner before quickly remounting and surging into second place, behind the flying Dutchman.

“So by the time I got to the front, Mathieu was already leading,” said Van Aert. "But halfway through the race, I found my legs and did a decent effort.”

In the end, it was positive signs for Van Aert, because despite not being able to match a rampant Van der Poel, he managed to finish second and stay comfortably clear of a competitive battle for the third step on the podium featuring Niels Vandeputte, Thibau Nys and Laurens Sweeck.

There was an electric atmosphere in Hofstade, with a reported 17,000 fans in attendance marking the return of the race for the first time since 2007. Despite racing in the biggest of races, Van Aert admitted the special feeling he gets with crowds of such magnitude.

“The last three laps I knew for sure I couldn’t come back to Mathieu, and then I had a certain rhythm where I was suffering a lot on the beach, but the other part of the course, I could find an easier pace, then I could really enjoy the cheers and the noise everywhere,’ said Van Aert. “I’m 31 years old, but it’s still pretty insane to experience that.”

The cyclocross action will continue on Tuesday with the fifth round of the Superprestige series in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. Van der Poel won’t be in action, but Van Aert will.

The racing action will take a very brief pause for Christmas before resuming with the seventh round of the UCI World Cup in Gavere, Belgium, on December 26, where Van der Poel will return, having won the previous three editions.