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Van Aert takes six straight wins at Azencross round of X2O Badkamers Trofee

December 30, 2021
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Wout Van Aert’s dominance of the cyclocross world in December continued on Thursday as the Belgian champion earned the win in the third round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee at Azencross in Loenhout, Belgium. Van Aert has now triumphed in six straight races since December 4. By coming third, Toon Aerts extended his lead at the top of the overall table.

The 2021-2022 X2O Badkamers Trofee so far

Unlike the World Cup and Superprestige series, the X2O Badkamers Trofee standings is based on time instead of points. Although the World Cup and Superprestige competitions are nearing their ends, the X2O Trofee had only run two out of eight rounds before Thursday. Eli Iserbyt was tops in Oudenaarde, while Aerts took the day’s flowers in Kortrijk. Aerts led Iserbyt by 43-seconds going into Thursday’s race.

After crashing and then climbing off the bike in the Namur World Cup, Mathieu van der Poel announced he would be skipping Azencross and the Hulst round of the World Cup. Tom Pidcock had planned to miss the race long ago. Lars van der Haar has been nursing a knee injury since November and he too was passing on Azencross Loenhout.

After the muddy congestion at the start of Lap 1, a nontet of fellow surged clear. Laurens Sweeck was accounted for, as was Aerts, Iserbyt and Van Aert. Aerts stretched out the string as it crossed the line to nab the bonus seconds.

Laurens Sweeck leads over Lap 1’s washboard.

Quinten Hermans pulled the string at the beginning of Lap 2. Van Aert slithered into Position 3 as the nontet began to fragment. Van Aert pulled Hermans, Sweeck and Corne van Kessel into the third circuit. Aerts and Iserbyt were in the main chase group keeping an eye on one another.

Finally, Van Aert went to the business end of the race and started to drive on Lap 3. Sweeck and Hermans worked to keep up with the Belgian champion.

Sweeck’s Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Michael Vanthourenhout, winner of the Namur World Cup, made the leading trio a quartet on Lap 4.

As Lap 4 became Lap 5, Aerts gritted his teeth and tried to bridge with van Kessel. Vanthourenhout chipped out a gap but Van Aert quickly closed it. Sweeck and Hermans began to look fatigued. Vanthourenhout drifted back as Van Aert forced the issue.

Van Aert got sideways on Lap 5 and Vanthourenhout was able to catch up.

Van Aert had an 11-second lead entering the penultimate lap. Vantourenhout had to contend with Aerts’ hard pursuit in Position 3.

On the bell lap, the main contest became Vanthourenhout vs Aerts, as Van Aert was far off. In the end, Aerts was satisfied to put over a minute into Iserbyt and retain his series lead.

The next round is GP Sven Nys in Baal on New Year’s Day.

2021-2022 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 3, Azencross
1) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) 56:15
2) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:14
3) Toon Aerts (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:27