Belgians struggle from lap one, national coach criticizes Van Aert’s starting position: "A consequence of his last-minute decision"

With seven riders in the top ten and two on the podium, Belgium had a strong presence at the Cyclocross World Championships, but they will still leave Liévin without the coveted world title. They knew in advance that it would be a tough challenge, and after Mathieu van der Poel’s rocket start—combined with Wout van Aert’s poor start—the Belgian team was out of contention from lap one in Liévin.

Yet, it wasn’t Van der Poel who led into the first corner—that was Toon Aerts. "I had a good start, but then came a bit of chaos," he told Sporza. "The course was more treacherous than expected. Once I found my rhythm, it was just flat tire after flat tire." Aerts suffered three punctures on a single lap. "It was really frustrating because I was having a great day. Dealing with setbacks like this isn’t easy, but I’m used to challenges—especially after my suspension."

The doping suspension, which Aerts returned from this year, helped the 31-year-old Belgian quickly regain his focus. "For a few seconds, you let your head drop, but as soon as you see someone ahead, you fight again. I battled for the full hour." Despite all the bad luck, the former European champion still managed to finish in sixth place.

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Wout van Aert was the best Belgian, finishing in second place.

Van der Poel in the lead from lap one: "You can't stop that"

Just ahead of Van Aert, Emiel Verstrynge finished in a strong sixth place and was thrilled with his performance. "It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m very happy with this result. It took me a while to find my rhythm, but after the halfway point, I really settled in. I rode with slightly lower tire pressure."

The competition was fierce, and the 23-year-old Crelan-Corendon rider knew he needed some luck. But in the end, he was among the strongest riders on the challenging Liévin course. "I knew it was possible if I had a good day, but actually pulling it off against such a strong field—that’s something I could have only dreamed of."

Michael Vanthourenhout finished seventh. The World Cup general classification winner got off to a strong start but lost contact with the top riders as the race went on. "It was a very tough and very technical race," he said. Last weekend, he fell ill, so finishing seventh was still a solid result. "I already knew on Thursday that I wouldn’t be 100%. I got a bit sick, and on this course, you have to be at full strength."

The former European champion had a strong start. "I wanted to hold Mathieu back a bit at the beginning, but you could see that he was determined to take the lead and push the pace hard. You can’t stop that. By the first bridge section, he was already gone. Nothing you can do," sighed the Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines rider. Van der Poel himself had already stated that his Belgian rivals couldn’t have done anything differently. "On a course like this, there’s no real tactical play," he told IDLProCycling.com.

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Thibau Nys completed the podium.

Wyseure also struggles in a miserable opening phase

While Vanthourenhout was struggling with illness, Sweeck had also been hit by a cold the week before. Still, he got off to a strong start, just like his teammate. "After a good start, my legs gradually gave out. Over the last 10 days—because of that illness—I was lacking resistance." As a result, he lost sight of the podium after a few laps. "I was still in the race for fifth place, but in the end, I finished tenth."

Joran Wyseure was considered a real dark horse going into the World Championships, but he made too many mistakes. "You had to stay focused and make as few mistakes as possible. I made a few too many. Right at the start, I crashed, my chain came off, and I had to run to the pit zone before I could continue, restarting dead last." "After that, I actually rode a great race. I fought my way back into contention for the top five and ended up finishing eighth. I can be satisfied with that."

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National coach De Clercq regrets Van Aert’s start position: "A consequence of his last-minute decision"

National coach Angelo De Clercq saw his team bring home four medals from the World Championships. "We also had seven Belgians in the top ten in the elite men’s race. As a team effort, that’s a great result. So I leave this World Championship feeling positive," he told Het Nieuwsblad."Mathieu gradually pulled away from Wout after the opening laps, so I don’t think much more was possible."

Still, De Clercq regretted that the much-anticipated duel between the two rivals never materialized—something he largely attributed to the start position. "Starting from the fourth row makes things very difficult. The difference between starting from the second or third row is huge. Wout was 17th in the World Cup standings—one place higher, and it would have made a big difference in his start position at the World Championships. That’s frustrating." "I suggested that he race the final World Cup in Hoogerheide to improve his seeding for the Worlds, but he didn’t want to."

"This is simply a consequence of his last-minute decision to race the World Championships. If his participation had been planned in advance, he would have ensured a front-row start. But it is what it is. Wout fought hard, as he always does, and there’s no shame in finishing second behind Mathieu."

Read also

Van Aert "tips his hat" to Van der Poel after disastrous start ruins his chances: "Worst-case scenario happened"

Whether it’s a "Van Aert course" or not, Van der Poel doesn’t care: "That’s something from five or six years ago"

God-like Van der Poel crushes the competition at World Championships with embarrassingly hard start, Van Aert overcomes nightmare opening for silver

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