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Van der Poel wins second rainbow jersey at Bogense world championships

West 20th in U23 women's race as Dutch dominate Sunday

February 3, 2019
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Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel continued his dominant 2018-2019 season by breaking Wout Van Aert’s world championship streak at three, earning his second title Sunday in Bogense, Denmark. In the earlier under-23 women’s race, the Dutch were able to dominate in a way they couldn’t in Saturday’s elite women’s contest, packing the podium.

In the windy under-23 women‘s race, the Dutch mobbed the front at the start, with Brit Anna Kay the only one not clad wearing orange. Ruby West was 18th at the midway point. On the penultimate lap, and going into the final lap, a group of ten was together on the front, the regrouping coming in a headwind. Dutch rider Fleur Nagengast led into the crucial technical section. World Cup winner Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado attacked but then Inge van der Heijden overtook her for the win. West finished 20th and Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was 28th.

The elite men’s race saw van der Poel and Van Aert led from the first bit of dirt, the course having dried in the wind. A Spaniard’s yellow and red kit broke up the Belgian and Dutch colour blocks at the front. World Cup champion Toon Aerts led the way on Lap 2.

It was determined after two laps that there would be 12 circuits. The pace was relentless among the leading octet. Several riders wanted rigs set up with harder tires. Van der Poel attacked on Lap 3 and teammate Lars van der Haar disrupted the chase. Van Aert went all out to find his rival’s wheel, which he did just before Lap 5. The chasers were far behind. Canadian Michael van den Ham was 33rd.

A van der Poel dig on the off-camber section forced Van Aert into a mistake and once more having to sew up a gap. Behind, van der Haar, Aerts, Corne van Kessel, Laurens Sweeck, Michael Vanthourenhout and Spain’s Filipe Orts were the riders likely to round out the podium. At the midway point of the race, van der Poel was 14-seconds ahead of his Belgian rival. Van den Ham was 36th.

Heading into Lap 8, Aerts made a bronze move. Cameron Jette was 56th with three laps to go, as up ahead Aerts slowly reeled in teammate Van Aert. When van der Poel heard the bell he had 34-seconds on the two Belgians. Aerts made his silver rush on the last lap, but a crash put Van Aert on the second step.

Van der Poel had plenty of time to celebrate and enjoy the confetti cannon.

Van den Ham placed 35th and Cameron Jette 56th.

Van der Poel finished third in the World Cup, having won six of the nine races but missing three. He leads both the Superprestige and DVV Trofee series over Toon Aerts.

2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championship, Elite Men
1) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands) 1:09:20
2) Wout Van Aert (Belgium) +0:16
3) Toon Aerts (Belgium) +0:25
35) Michael van den Ham (Canada)
56) Cameron Jette (Canada)