Today, Sunday 27 November, in the Netherlands a Holly in the Zeeland region which is a stone’s throw from Antwerp and therefore from Belgium, the seventh round of the Cyclocross World Cup. There was great expectation because there was the debut of Mathieu Van der Poel, arrived in Holland from Spain where he was in training camp with Alpecin Deceuninck. There was waiting for him at the gate Thomas Pidcock excited after Saturday’s success in Courtrai. The world champion swept the board in a very fast race on the X2O Badkamers circuit.
CONCOMITANCE WITH FOOTBALL
The race started at an unusual time for cyclo-cross, not at 15:15 but three hours earlier, this because at 14:00 on Belgian televisions from Qatar, where the soccer world cup is underway, they predicted the broadcast of Belgium Morocco.
Photo ©UCI Cyclo Cross
STARTS STRONG BUT COMMITS TWO MISTAKES
Starting with the number 38, after two minutes Van der Poel was already sixth and Pidcock had an easy start alongside him. On a technical route, beautiful to look at, fast in some points and very tricky due to the slippery surface, Van der Poel crashed just when he had already taken the lead with Lars Van der Haar alongside.
The crash didn’t matter because at the start of the second lap, there were six of them in front. In addition to the two big names and Van der Haar there were Sweeck, the European champion Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt. MVDP crashed a second time but the impression he gave right from the start was this: a Lamborghini ready to accelerate at any moment. Lots of Watts ready to be unloaded on the pedals.
Photo ©UCI Cyclo Cross
PIDCOCK TAKES THE LEAD BUT VAN DER POEL THEN OPENS THE TURBO
Pidcock who had started with the handbrake then changed gears and decisively took the lead of the race and at the end of the third lap after 25 minutes, Sweeck and MVDP were close behind the finish line, who took off his gloves. In the fourth round characterized by repeated crashes, Van der Poel took the lead for the first time in this seventh round of the cyclo-cross World Cup. Up front were just him and the world champion but then the Dutchman put the turbo on and took a twenty-metre lead over Pidcock.
Photo ©UCI Cyclo Cross
Once left alone Mathieu Van der Poel continued to hammer on the pedals going to win already at the first attempt. A victory that already scares the opponents. He was joined by Laurens Sweeck (+15”) and Eli Iserbyt (+22”) on the podium.
“I’m happy to be back, but there’s still work to do to get back to racing at the highest level.” He said MVDP at the end of the race, he was certainly referring to the many crashes (one in the final), he has to work on his riding technique to get used to riding the cyclocross bike again.
PIDCOCK CRASHES
And Pidcock? While he was second to him he made a mistake at the end of a descent damaging the bike (he broke the rim), forced to carry it on his shoulder he had to retire.
The only Italian of the five starters who managed to finish this race at full speed was Gioele Bertolini, thirty-third.
ARRIVAL ORDER FOR ELITE MEN
1. VAN DER POEL Mathieu (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) 57:09
2. SWEECK Laurens (CRELAN – FRISTADS) +15
3. ISERBYT Eli (PAUWELS SAUCES – BINGOAL) +22
4. VAN DER HAAR Lars (BALOISE TREK LIONS) +30
5. NEWSHOUSE Joris (BALOISE TREK LIONS) +49
6. VANTHOURENHOUT Michael (PAUWELS SAUCES – BINGOAL) +1:31
7. ORTS LLORET Felipe (BURGOS-BH) +1:44
8. ADAMS Jens (BELGIUM) +1:50
9. VANDEBOSCH Toon (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) +2:11
10. KUHN Kevin (TORMANS CYCLO CROSS TEAM) +2:18
33. BERTOLINI Gioele (SELLE ITALIA – GUERCIOTTI – ELITE) +6:33
51. BALDESTEIN Raul (CYCLING CAFE’ RACING TEAM) a 3 giri
53. MANCINELLI Philippe (CYCLING CAFE’ RACING TEAM) a 4 giri
54. GILIOLI Samuele Silla (ITALY) at 4 laps
55. TURSI Loris (ITALY) at 5 laps
ARRIVAL ORDER FOR ELITE WOMEN
1. PIETERSE Puck (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) 46:31
2. VAN EMPEL Fem (PAUWELS SAUCES – BINGOAL) +42
3. VAN ANROOIJ Shirin (BALOISE TREK LIONS) +1:47
4. ALVARADO Ceylin del Carmen (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) +2:06
5. FIRE Lucinda (BALOISE TREK LIONS) +2:12
6. NORBERT RIBEROLLE Marion (CRELAN – FRISTADS) +2:32
7. CLAUZEL Hélène (AS BIKE RACING) +3:01
8. VAN DER HEIJDEN Inge (777) +3:09
9. BURQUIER Line (CANYON CLLCTV) +3:14
10. VAN ALPHEN Aniek (777) +3:33
27. CORVI Valentina (TRINX FACTORY TEAM) +7:41
30. BULLERI Alessia (CYCLING CAFE’ RACING TEAM) a 1 giro
35. BRAMATI Lucia (TRINX FACTORY TEAM) 1 lap
39. CASASOLA Sara (SELLE ITALIA – GUERCIOTTI – ELITE) 1 turn
