It was the day of the big reunion between the two behemoths of the plowed. For the third round of the Exact Cross in Mol (Belgium), the followers eagerly awaited a prestigious duel between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert for the first time since the start of the season. In the end, it didn’t happen. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck crushed the competition, starting with the Belgian from Jumbo-Visma.
Mathieu van der Poel as boss in Mol! ???? For his first duel of the season against van Aert, the Dutchman delivered a recital and won with more than a minute ahead of the Belgian! #LesRP pic.twitter.com/lvcuxzGmpP
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) December 22, 2023
It was in the third round out of ten that the five-time world champion in the discipline broke away naturally. Lap after lap, Mathieu van der Poel continued to take care of his trajectories, imposing his physical and technical superiority over his long-time opponent. And even had the luxury of putting his chain back on after a slight derailment, without fear of seeing his colleagues pass him by. The grandson of “Poupou” crossed the line 1′16″ ahead of his Belgian runner-up at the finish. Behind the duo, Niels Vandeputte, teammate of the winner, took third place.
Rebelote from Saturday, because Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert will meet in Antwerp (Belgium) for a new World Cup stage with, in addition, a distinguished guest: the British Thomas Pidcock, Olympic mountain bike champion at the last Games .
