Eight victories in eight competitions for Mathieu van der Poel. Despite Wout van Aert’s different tactics in the GP Sven Nys, nothing could be done to prevent the World Champion from securing another dominant win.
Wout Van Aert attempts a tactical change
Wout van Aert had a convincing start and this time tried to race differently, accelerating the pace in the early minutes of the race. Under very muddy and treacherous conditions, the two quickly distanced themselves from the others as Van Aert anticipated an early attack from the World Champion.
Pim Ronhaar joined them in a great performance, but under van Aert’s pace, the race remained quite stable. However, it didn’t take long for the lead to be neutralized. In the second lap of the GP Sven Nys, van der Poel accelerated in a muddy section where van Aert couldn’t stay on the bike. A small gap turned into a substantial lead and slowly extended to over a minute.
Van der Poel was dominant for most of the race and secured his eighth victory of the season and the first of 2024. Van Aert and Ronhaar battled for the second position for a few laps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike cyclist finished in second place, nearly two minutes behind the winner. Ronhaar finished in third place.
Watch Mathieu van der Poel’s finish
Complete Results of X2O Trophy Baal 2023:
