Mathieu van der Poel secured a dominant victory at Exact Cross Mol. The Alpecin-Deceuninck cyclist was clearly the best, with Wout van Aert and Niels Vandeputte completing the podium, far behind the champion.
On Friday afternoon in Mol, the first direct confrontation between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert took place. The dynamics became clear right from the start, as both champions were immediately at the front on the Zilvermeercross sand, accompanied by Quinten Hermans.
Devastating Attack in the 3rd Lap
Van der Poel launched his attack in the third lap. The world champion soared uphill, while Van Aert had to descend. The initial gap was created, and shortly afterward, Van der Poel extended it in the sand. Despite dealing with mechanical issues at one point, Van Aert threatened to come back for a while but couldn’t make the connection.
Follow the attack:
Issues for Mathieu Van der Poel
At the end of the third lap, MVDP’s lead grew to fifteen seconds, but the leader encountered problems with his chain. Van der Poel had to dismount and quickly address the issues.
As a result, Van der Poel’s advantage seemed to decrease significantly, but in the subsequent measurement, it appeared to have happened the opposite. The world champion actually gained time over the competition. The march to victory for the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader seemed to have begun.
Unquestionable Victory for MVDP
In the final laps, Mathieu van der Poel’s lead was never in jeopardy. In the 139th duel between the two Cyclocross giants, Mathieu van der Poel emerged and managed to maintain control from start to finish. On the Mol sands, Mathieu van der Poel secures the second victory in two Cyclocross competitions.
Following that, Wout van Aert ‘simply’ crossed the line in second, 1 minute and 17 seconds behind the winner. In the battle for third place, Niels Vandeputte’s acceleration a few laps before the end secured him the 3rd position.
Watch the finish for Mathieu van der Poel’s victory:
Full results of Exact Cross Mol 2023:
