With the world championships last weekend we had the big conclusion of the cyclo-cross season, which is almost coming to an end. There were no surprises among the elite men in Hulst, Mathieu van der Poel sovereignly crowned world champion for an eighth time.
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Dramaqueen Nys
No one was surprised by that, certainly not even Wout van Aert. After all, he had already made his expectations clear in the podcast Live Slow, Ride Fast. “I can’t make it more exciting than it is. Mathieu is far above the rest, he seems to be just a little bit better than he was during the Christmas period,” he said.
In addition, Van Aert also had another prediction correct. Namely that Thibau Nys would also finish on the podium. “I give him a lot of opportunity to be on the podium, because he is always there for the big moments. He always shows at championships. He can always recharge,” he said.
This despite the fact that we have seen a frustrated Nys several times in the past two weeks. Also saw Van Aert, who did not appear to be surprised by this. “I know Thibau personally and he dares to dramatize quickly, that’s how he works,” was his conclusion.
Cross platoon is stronger
Hopefully Van Aert can get involved again in the field next season, he is not thinking about quitting yet. He says he has even thought about taking up more racing towards the end of his career.
With new names such as Nys and Tibor Del Grosso at the front, things have not become easier, the Kempen resident concludes: “The level of cross has increased enormously. Until a few years ago I almost always rode in the top two, even if I was not top. That is different now.”
