Van der Poel bosses Gavere World Cup, Big Three on the podium

Can’t stop, won’t stop. In the four races he has contested this season, world champion Mathieu van der Poel has shown imperious form. The second meeting of the Big Three took place on Tuesday at the long, arduous tenth round of the 2023-2024 UCI Cross World Cup in mucky Gavere, Belgium, and van der Poel ran away with it. Wout van Aert came runner-up and Tom Pidcock worked his way from 25th place to the podium. Sixth place Eli Iserbyt kept his series lead over eighth place Pim Ronhaar. The top Canadian was Ian Ackert in 45th.

The Situation Before Tuesday

Iserbyt led Ronhaar by 57 points at the top of the table. Both had won two rounds. Van der Poel was the latest winner in Antwerp. Finally, for the first time this season in Europe, there were Canadians in the race, Ian Ackert and Cody Scott.

Van der Poel and van Aert started on the second row, while Pidcock was on row four. Lars van der Haar charged up the middle to claim the hole shot on Lap 1. Iserbyt pushed to the front. Van Aert was the only one to pit immediately, losing places. Van der Poel sat in Position 4. Then it was Joris Nieuwenhuis leading the long string. At the end of the big hill run, van der Poel emerged first to start his hour of soloing. Van Aert was desperate to control the gap. The world champion was eight seconds ahead of van Aert and 17 seconds clear of Nieuwenhuis and van der Haar by the line. Pidcock finished the first circuit in eighth. Ackert was 49th and Scott 62nd.

Van Aert wouldn’t relent on Lap 2. Pidcock had a problem and sifted down the pack. Despite van Aert’s dogged pursuit, he lost time on the second circuit. Teammates Nieuwenhuis and van der Haar competed for the final podium spot. Ackert was up to 45th and Scott was 65th.

Van der Poel took a 30-second gap into Lap 3 of 7. Nieuwenhuis and van der Haar moved closer to van Aert. The world champion had to shove a lapped Costa Rican rider out of the way. The leader’s gap climbed to 42 seconds. Ackert was 42nd and Scott 62nd.

By Lap 4, Pidcock had powered his way to fifth. Van Aert, slobbering with the effort, still resisted Nieuwenhuis and van der Haar. The pits were hopping with activity.

Lap 5 saw Nieuwenhuis separate himself from van der Haar as Pidcock kept charging. After the three came together, Pidcock crashed and delayed van der Haar.

Nieuwenhuis, van der Haar and Pidcock continued their scrap on the penultimate lap, the former with a couple of seconds advantage. Van der Poel appeared to suffer some pedal problems, but his great yellow-and-black-clad rival was still 35 seconds in arrears. Van der Haar was unhitched. Ackert finished the circuit in 45th.

On the bell lap Nieuwenhuis and Pidcock kept switching the lead. But it would be the former world champion who would stand on Tuesday’s final step.

The next round is Saturday in Hulst, the Netherlands.

2023-2024 X2O UCI World Cup, Round 10, Gavere
1) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Deceuninck) 1:07:06
2) Wout van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) +0:36
3) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/Ineos) +0:58
45) Ian Ackert (Canada)
61) Cody Scott (Canada)