Less than 24 hours after his victory in Diegem, Van der Poel was at the start of the Azencross in Loenhout (Belgium). This time in very different conditions because there was a lot of mud, and the main rivals (Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Eli Iserbyt, and Michael Vanthourenhout) were not present.
Same strategy as the day before.
Just like on Thursday night, Van der Poel stayed in the middle of the leading group during the first half-hour and then repeated the devastating attack. He then only increased the lead even more and secured the sixth consecutive victory in six competitions.
Gianni Vermeersch, Felipe Orts, and Ryan Kamp made the battle for the remaining podium spots even more exciting. Vermeersch ended up beating Felipe Orts at the finish to secure the 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively. Kamp was unable to contest the sprint and finished in 4th place.
Watch the champion’s finish:
Results of the Exact Cross in Loenhout:
