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Van Aert wins highly anticipated clash with van der Poel and Pidcock at Dendermonde World Cup

The Belgian champion has taken both rounds he has raced

December 26, 2021
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It was the moment the cyclocross world had been waiting for with bated breath: on Boxing Day Sunday Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert and Tom Pidcock finally raced against each other in Dendermonde, Belgium. Van Aert earned his second World Cup triumph of the season on a muddy course without spectators, but van der Poel might consider runner-up to be a good result in his first ‘cross race since January 31. Michael van den Ham was the top Canadian.

It was a dominant performance from Van Aert.

You can watch the 2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at FloBikes.

Going into Sunday’s round, Eli Iserbyt, winner of five rounds, lead Michael Vanthourenhout, who took the last round in Namur, by 110 points. Both Van Aert and Pidcock had claimed rounds. Toon Aerts, Quentin Hermans and Lars van der Haar had all won as well.

None of the Big Three were in the front row. Van der Poel sliced through the field from the third row. Aerts was the early leader. You could throw a lasso around van der Poel, Pidcock and Van Aert two minutes into Lap 1. Soon the Dutch world champion was the best of the Big Three, fourth behind Aerts. None of the Big Three pitted. Aerts and van der Poel crossed the line together, seven seconds ahead of Van Aert.

World champion van der Poel was the best of the Big Three on Lap 1.

Van Aert started to close in on van der Poel on Lap 2 as Aerts pushed clear at the front. Pidcock was seventh and Michael van den Ham was 30th. Van Aert chose not to pit and was able to press into Position 2. Aerts, van der Poel and Van Aert crossed the line together.

Toon Aerts leads van der Poel and Van Aert on Lap 2.

On the third of eight laps, Vanthourenhout was the closest chaser to the three leaders. Van Aert put on the pressure and van der Poel was gapped. Van Aert pried open an eight-second lead, but the world champion managed to close it a little.

The start of Lap 4 saw the three muddy fellows at the front retain their gaps over one another, with Aerts as Tailgun Charlie. Van den Ham raced in 36th position and Cameron Jette in 44th. Van der Poel took over the lead from Van Aert momentarily.

Van Aert leads the trio over the line at the midway mark.

Van Aert again forced the issue on Lap 5. Aerts began to lose the plot. The Canadians retained their positions. With three laps to go Van Aert’s lead was 11 seconds as he posted the fastest lap of the race so far.

On Laps 6 and 7 van der Poel could make inroads into Van Aert’s lead, not could Aerts reel in the world champion.

When the Belgian champion heard the bell, he was 41 seconds clear. Having won the only two rounds he has race, Van Aert rose to 17th overall in the series.

First and second in the last two rounds, Pidcock was eighth on Sunday. Ninth was series leader Iserbyt’s worst result of the 2021-2022 World Cup.

The next round is January 2 in Hulst, the Netherlands. Only two more races remain after that.

2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Round 12, Dendermonde
1) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) 1:03:48
2) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) +0:49
3) Toon Aerts (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) +1:18
37) Michael van den Ham (Canada)
45) Cameron Jette (Canada)