Spectacular victory: Van der Poel wins big after thrilling start in Zonhoven

Mathieu van der Poel returned to cyclo-cross on Sunday, and it showed. The cyclo-cross world champion took off after only a minute in the sand of Zonhoven, and no one saw him again.

Van der Poel started around the fifteenth position, on the third row of the field. It didn't bother him. In the first turns after the start, he had already moved up, and at the entrance to the pit, he left everyone behind. Right away, he gained a comfortable lead on the first uphill stretch; we were barely a minute and a half into the race. Was this already enough to win? Apparently yes. Toon Aerts was hovering between the leader and the group behind, with the usual names from recent weeks.

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It took just over one minute, but MVDP is in the lead! @UCIcyclocrossWC he is back 🥵 #CXWorldCup #FLCS

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It was a spectacular start, but it took all the excitement out of the race. After the first lap, the difference was twenty seconds. Aerts dropped back into the second group. Van der Poel flew through the pit, leading to much cheering from the fans present. Seemingly unmoved and tireless, he could then begin many laps of glory. Behind Van der Poel, Pim Ronhaar and Thibau Nys had a good first half, riding together to places two and three in the race at more than half a minute after two laps.

That gap grew to more than a minute in the following two laps. Nys was the best of the rest in this phase. The European champion, in turn, had a margin of over ten seconds on the rest and steadily built it up. This gap was a nice boost for Sven's son, who hasn't been in his best shape in recent weeks.

Behind Nys, the battle for third place was much more exciting. Lars van der Haar had a difficult start and was not in the top fifteen for a long time, but he joined the group on the fourth lap and even attacked one lap later. World Cup leader Michael Vanthourenhout was also focused on gaining points for his ranking. Ronhaar slowly disappeared from the picture, and men like Felipe Orts Lloret did not participate.

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Lukáš Ronald Lukács

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This is art 😍 🎥: cyclingmedia_agency 🎶: Escape - Lord Belphegor #CXWorldCup

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Van der Poel won easily, battle for spot three exciting

Nys was second at a certain distance but slowly had to deal with a returning Van der Haar in his wake. The leader had the opportunity to slow down: his lead did not grow fast in the last three laps. Joran Wyseure and Eli Iserbyt joined Van der Haar. Still, the Belgian champion fell in the second-to-last lap. Aerts had a revival and accelerated, but at that moment, Van der Haar caught his wheel.

Because Nys didn't stall either, and the men behind him did somewhat, the Belgian of Baloise Trek Lions was almost certain of second place. The ranking leader, Vanthourenhout, on the other hand, took a beating and dropped away in the race. Van der Poel rode a different course and, in the final pit passage, received some cheering from the crowd. He is completely back and seems to be setting the pace in the cyclocross in the coming weeks.

The attack to catch up earlier in the race cost Van der Haar the lead in the finale. Aerts failed to ride away from the Woudenberger and Wyseure on character. After a good hour, Van der Poel crossed the finish line and waved pleasantly to the crowd. Nys was a brilliant second in Zonhoven at precisely one and a half minutes. Wyseure crossed the finish line exhausted but in third, just ahead of Aerts and Van der Haar.

Results World Cup Zonhoven, elite men

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