Wyseure overjoyed after podium spot in Zonhoven and impressed with Van der Poel's presence: "Phenomenal"

Mathieu van der Poel returned to the field Sunday at the World Cup in Zonhoven, and everyone needed to know that. He didn't start at the front but got there at lightning speed. After that, nobody saw him again. Behind the world champion, there was a fierce battle for the third place - Nys soloed to second - and Joran Wyseure secured the remaining spot.

In the final laps, the Belgian was mainly battling Lars van der Haar and Toon Aerts for the last spot on the podium. Only in the very last lap, he secured it. "That's nice," said the Belgian in the flash interview. "Yesterday was difficult for me; I made many mistakes in Hulst. This was also a tough race, but you had to do it alone." And that was Wyseure's doing today. "I'm super satisfied that I was able to finish third today."

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Joran Wyseure

Wyseure sprinted to the finish line

Wyseure looks back on a race where, for a long time, a fairly large group stayed together behind leaders Van der Poel and Nys. "Iserbyt then made a mistake on the second-to-last lap; he rode against a pole, leaving a gap." Meanwhile, Van der Haar also had a small gap, leaving the battle for spot three between two men: Aerts and Wyseure. "Aerts had a gap on the last lap, but I could still get back to it, and at the previous pit area, I passed him. Then I thought: I have to make one big sprint to the finish. It's fantastic that I made it."

For the Belgian, his podium finish is a nice reward. "I've been good all season except for two races. Then it's extra lovely that I managed to finish third in a difficult race like Zonhoven, which, due to the conditions, was more of a mud cross than a sand cross. This was my most possible time today, and I really enjoyed myself."

When asked how he looked at Van der Poel's performance today, he responded wittily. "Gosh, yeah, how do I look at it? I didn't see much of him today," he says, laughing. "I saw him pass after a hundred meters, and then he was gone. The way he's riding around here is phenomenal. We've been training for this for months without specific training and preparation. But of course, it's great for the sport; there was a massive crowd today. It's great for the sport that he's at the start."

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