Van der Poel feels 'way better' than Namur as Van Aert takes positives from debut

From the opening lap, Mathieu van der Poel seized control of the race, quickly opening up a decisive gap on the sandy sections. At one point his advantage stretched to nearly fifty seconds, leaving the rest of the field racing for second place. Even a puncture on the penultimate lap could not derail him, as he regrouped calmly and rode on to a comfortable solo victory.

“I wanted to make the difference early,” Van der Poel explained afterwards. “Last week I was mostly riding in the wheels and that is not really my thing. Today I found a good rhythm quickly, so I pushed on. In the end I am glad the gap was so big, because two laps from the finish I punctured just after the first pit zone, and that cost me a lot of time and energy.”

Van der Poel admitted he was not flawless in the sand, but felt a clear step forward compared to the previous weekend. “I made quite a few mistakes on the longer sand sections, but I already felt way better than last weekend. During the week I felt fresher than I did before Namur, so I am happy to win again.”

Speaking to WielerFlits after the race, Van der Poel also addressed the World Championships in Hulst and whether it could mark his farewell to cyclocross, something he has hinted at a few times in the past. “It would be really nice to go for the record in number of world titles in Hulst, in my own country. I can’t keep racing cyclocross forever, so at some point it has to end. I’ve always said I hope I can finish on a high, both on the road and in cyclocross. We’ll see, who knows.”

For Wout van Aert, the race told a different story. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider entered the race with limited racing in his legs and was immediately forced into survival mode. Still, he felt his way into contention as the race developed.

“This sport is as hard as it has always been,” Van Aert said. “I suffered from the first minute. But I think I was in the mix for the podium. Then a flat tyre ruined that result. Overall, though, I have a good feeling.”

Despite losing significant time, Van Aert took positives from his performance, especially compared to the same period last season. “It is definitely different from the start of my season last year. Back then I had to come from much further and it was far less enjoyable. Today it was suffering in a good way.”

With Antwerp now in the books, Van der Poel turns his attention to another of his favourite venues in Koksijde tomorrow, while also looking ahead to Hofstade on Monday, where the two stars will go head to head again.