Mathieu van der Poel was crowned cyclocross world champion for the seventh time on Sunday. Wout van Aert and Thibau Nys joined the Dutchman on the podium, but Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq was left frustrated.
Van der Poel had one clear goal at the World Championships: to make a statement. Right from the start, he took off like a rocket, leaving Van Aert in pursuit. It wasn’t surprising, given that Van Aert had to start from the fourth row.
A Missed Opportunity
“He was way too far back; he was completely stuck in that corner. At that point, only four riders were behind him,” De Clercq analyzed afterward in an interview with Wielerflits. “That’s really unfortunate. This was probably the best possible result, but it’s just a shame that he never really got into the race.”
By the end of the first lap, Van Aert was already nearly a minute behind his eternal rival. However, Van der Poel was never able to extend that gap further.
“Yes, but I think Mathieu had the race under control,” De Clercq explained. “He even had a puncture at one point. It’s hard to say whether Wout was closing in or if Mathieu was just managing his lead. He would accelerate at times and then recover. It’s just a pity that there was no real battle in the first two laps.”
Nys on the Podium
Despite Van Aert’s setback, De Clercq found some consolation in Thibau Nys’s third-place finish in Liévin.
“That’s definitely a boost. I think Thibau has had a fantastic season. He became both European and Belgian champion, and now he’s standing on the World Championship podium alongside Mathieu and Wout. That’s amazing.”
While Van der Poel once again proved his dominance, De Clercq couldn’t shake the feeling that the race could have been more competitive if Van Aert had a better start. However, with Nys’s impressive rise, Belgian cyclocross still has plenty to look forward to.
