Four World Cup wins in a row for van der Poel at Namur
Toon Aerts leads series after six of nine rounds
Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel won his fourth consecutive 2018-2019 World Cup race at Sunday’s sixth round in Namur, Belgium. It was the third time the Dutchman won the Namur World Cup round. The muddy affair played out over nine 3.35-km laps, the elite men’s race featured Canadians Michael van den Ham and Cameron Jette.
@antmccrossan just want to shout out to all the North American racers in Namur and fans watching today. Host of 2018/2019 Pan Am CX Championships in Ontario Canada. #TelenetUCICXWC
— The Silver Goose (@SilverGooseCX) December 23, 2018
World champion Wout Van Aert suffered a terrible start on the cobbled hill, unclipping a shoe. Laurens Sweeck was the early leader, with van der Poel and Corne Kessel on his wheel for the famous, off-camber section. Van den Ham was 39th midway through Lap 1. But it was World Cup leader Toon Aerts (Belgium) leading a group of six over the line.
Lap 1 complete and Sweeck now drops back. The World Cup leader, Aerts, takes on the pace-making. Van der Poel and Vanthourenhout on his wheel. #TelenetUCICXWC pic.twitter.com/6W3VuQogHc
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) December 23, 2018
On Lap 2 Aerts, van der Poel and Michael Vanthourenhout tried to move away from the others. Van der Poel passed Aerts at the end of the off-camber section and then flew away, forcing a gap of eight-seconds.
By Lap 3 of 9, Van Aert had picked his way through the field to Aerts’ rear wheel. Van der Poel led Van Aert, Aerts and Vanthourenhout by 30-seconds going into Lap 4. Canadians van den Ham and Jette were 45th and 61st respectively. All riders were officially filthy.
Lap 5 was the setting for the race’s evolution into Van Aert’s solo pursuit of van der Poel, but 38-seconds separated the two going into Lap 6. Van den Ham had moved up to 43rd.
Aerts’ World Cup lead was under siege on Lap 6 as Van Aert continued on in second and Aerts’s podium spot was threatened by Vanthourenhout and Joris Nieuwenhuis.
By Lap 8, the Canadians and thirty other riders had been lapped and pulled. Going into the bell lap, Van Aert was over a minute behind. Aerts earned the last podium place and leads Van Aert by 17-points and van der Poel by 95-points, the Dutchman having skipped the first two rounds in North America.
? @ToAerts finishes 3rd and keeps the leader's jersey ? pic.twitter.com/eWxEbFqkxA
— Telenet Baloise Lions (@Telenet_Baloise) December 23, 2018
The next round, the seventh of nine, is in Zolder, Belgium on Boxing Day.
2018-2019 UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Round Six, Namur, Belgium, Elite Men
1) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands) 1:03:37
2) Wout Van Aert (Belgium) +1:04
3) Toon Aerts (Belgium) +1:50
