The overall consensus from Herentals was of Mathieu van der Poel's return and good form. He left no doubts on the field, leading the race uninterrupted from start to finish and making the difference on the first lap immediately.
"I don't think he wants to leave anything behind. In the past, you had to have days and days under your belt to be able to perform. That is all outdated now. They go on an training camp and they come back better," Paul Herygers argued in Sporza. "I am impressed with Van der Poel and I think he will make it a point not to leave anything behind. He pulled away on the first lap and immediately took away the courage of the rest. They were happy that he took off, because it was just not normal. He rode 5 km/h too fast. I think he was at about 90 percent in Herentals. So there is still some margin."
The analyst believes van der Poel can still rise in form, which is to be expected taking into consideration that the World Championships are still six weeks away. However, even with the good feedback that was said of him ahead of the race, it wasn't fully expected to see him win so comfortably on what was his only first race of the season. He believes now that there will likely be little competition to the Dutchman wherever he races, unless that takes place in some special conditions.
"That could be possible. But it is also not a problem if you have other goals. It's a shame that we no longer get a 'moth-ridden' cross (referring to very muddy, ed.), such as Dendermonde, where it is a real slog. Then Van Aert might be able to get a little closer. But on crosses such as in Herentals, I think Van der Poel has a bit of an advantage has on the rest." This afternoon the World Champion will not be present in Namur however, where very strong fields on both races will tackle a brutal and muddy circuit.
It was a good day today. In Herentals, home of our team, @mathieuvdpoel crowned his return to cyclocross with a solid win. But Niels Vandeputte, @GVermeersch and @Quintenhermans also finished in the top ten. @ToonVandebosch fell just outside. Great job, guys! #alpecindeceuninck
