📸 Van der Poel vs. Van Aert = expensive cars, huge crowds, and concerning news: "Broke my rib"

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert faced off in the Cyclo-cross World Cup in Maasmechelen. Fans had hoped to see more clashes between these two titans of the sport this winter, but Saturday marked only their second and final meeting of the season, drawing a massive crowd in Belgium.

Van der Poel and Van Aert arrived at the Maasmechelen camper park around midday, both in their signature luxury cars. Footage from HLN showed Van Aert (sporting a fresh haircut) pulling up to the Visma | Lease a Bike team bus in his sleek Audi, greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. Shortly after, Van der Poel arrived at the Alpecin-Deceuninck team bus with his girlfriend Roxanne Bertels, driving his custom Lamborghini, the 'MVDP edition which we have come to know, courtesy of his car sponsor.

The race in Maasmechelen was scheduled to start at 3:10 PM local time (7:10 AM EST), but the crowd’s enthusiasm was already palpable by midday.

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Van Aert finished fourth in Loenhout, due to contact with a fan over the fences

Van Aert against Van der Poel, without Nys

In their only previous encounter this season, on December 27 in Loenhout, Van der Poel took the win while Van Aert finished fourth after a crash. All eyes were on the two rivals. Belgian fans were also hoping to see Thibau Nys at the start in Maasmechelen, but the European and Belgian champion withdrew due to illness.

Moreover, Van der Poel will race on Sunday in 'his' Hoogerheide, while Van Aert will not. Similarly, the world champion will compete at next week’s World Championships in Liévin, but his rival Van Aert has opted out. "It’s a shame it’s almost over already, but after this I'm going to focus on the Classics," Van Aert briefly told VTM after the course reconnaissance.

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Van der Poel didn’t skip three races in January for nothing

Van der Poel reveals he broke a rib

For Van der Poel, Maasmechelen actually marked his return to racing after a month-long absence due to a rib injury. He sustained the injury in Loenhout following contact with a pole, forcing him to skip three races in January. Speculation about the injury had been swirling for a while, but the full extent was revealed in Maasmechelen: he had fractured a rib at the end of December.

"It’s taped up now, but it’s not very pleasant on the cyclo-cross bike," Van der Poel admitted after scouting the course. "I feel pain when I take deep breaths or cough. The two pieces haven’t fused yet, but I was able to train in Spain," he added. After his dominant victory, the topic of his rib naturally came up again. "I definitely felt it, but maybe that was a good thing — it kept me from thinking too much about my legs," he joked. "I really enjoyed it with the fans here. Today was true cyclo-cross."

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Van Aert bids farewell to cyclo-cross season

Ultimately, Van der Poel's injury offered little consolation for Van Aert. Hampered by two crashes, he finished more than a minute behind in Maasmechelen. Despite this, he can look back positively on his winter season, which marked his return after a crash in the Vuelta a España in August 2024 that resulted in a serious knee injury.

After a shaky start in Loenhout, the Belgian managed to bounce back, winning in Gullegem and Dendermonde. However, he fell short last weekend in Benidorm following a training camp, finishing fourth. Van Aert wrapped up his very brief cyclo-cross campaign with a silver medal in Maasmechelen, trailing behind his (injured) rival, Van der Poel.

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