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Van Aert wins his first World Cup of the season on tricky Val di Sole snow course

Tom Pidcock on the podium with his return to the series

Wout Van Aert has won all three races in his return to cyclocross, but Sunday’s triumph in the World Cup snow round of Val di Sole, Italy is the biggest. The Belgian champion was the fastest in the white stuff, adding a World Cup victory to a Superprestige win and Ethias Cross win over the last week. Tom Pidcock, also racing his first World Cup of the season, placed third.

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

Michael Vanthourenhout came out of the blocks with a head full of steam, leading Lap 1 with World Cup leader Eli Iserbyt in Position Two and Van Aert third. Before the long run-up, Van Aert overtook Iserbyt. Tom Pidcock had to make his way up the string. Vanthourenhout and Van Aert crossed the line together, with Iserbyt just behind and teammates Corne van Kessel and Quinten Hermans further back.

Van Aert stalks Vanthourenhout on Lap 1.

Lap 2 saw Van Aert immediately push to the front and try to put daylight between himself and his pursuers. Pidcock was grinding, and he was soon nudging van Kessel and Hermans. Vanthourenhout sat five seconds back at the line and Iserbyt was 14 seconds in arrears. Pidcock was up to fifth.

Van Aert takes the lead on Lap 2.

Van Aert got hung up in the side netting at the beginning of Lap 3, allowing Vanthourenhout to close in. However, Van Aert finished the circuit with an even bigger gap than the previous lap.

On Lap 4 Pidcock started to threaten Iserbyt’s podium spot. Van Aert continued to add seconds to his gap. A mistake in a snow trough saw Pidcock overtake Iserbyt. Van Aert’s 8:15 lap was the fastest of the race so far. Vanthourenhout was 28 seconds back.

Vanthourenhout wasn’t going to submit to Pidcock easily. He kept pushing on Lap 5. With an icicle on his nose, Van Aert carried on in the lead, 37 seconds clear of Vanthourenhout.

Tom Pidcock and World Cup leader Eli Iserbyt tussle for the podium.

Iserbyt had to keep scrapping for that podium on the penultimate lap. Van Aert biffed in the snow but had a considerable buffer.

When he heard the bell, Van Aert was ahead by 41 seconds. It looked like a couple of errors had taken Iserbyt out of podium contention, but he started to reel in Pidcock before another crash disrupted his efforts. The Brit stayed away to stand on the third step.

The next round of the World Cup is Saturday, December 18 in Rucphen, the Netherlands.

2021-2022 UCI World Cup, Round 10, Val di Sole, Italy

1) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) 59:27
2) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:49
3) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers) +1:28