This time he managed to hold his rival’s wheel, but he ended up breaking. In the middle of a duel with Mathieu van der Poel at the Mol cyclo-cross, Wout Van Aert made a mistake. In terrible weather, with a particularly violent snowstorm, the Belgian slipped and fell two laps from the end. Visibly hit in the hip, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider quickly gave up.
So alone in the lead, Mathieu van der Poel did not tremble and went for victory. Undefeated, the Dutchman has already brought home his eighth victory of the winter. However, it was not as impressive as in previous races, probably because of the snow and the freezing cold in the north of Belgium.
For Wout Van Aert, this fall could be worrying. As he slowly came back into action and found his best legs at the dawn of a very important season, the Belgian could be forced to review his schedule. News on his state of health will be eagerly awaited.
The two men were to meet again at least once, this Sunday in Zonhoven. A duel at the World Championships on February 1 in Hulst in the Netherlands could not be ruled out either.
