"I do expect that Wout will simply participate for the win" - Mathieu van der Poel's domination doesn't sideline van Aert, Jumbo-Visma's Jan Boven says

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert had their first cyclocross battle of the season yesterday in Mol but it was not a balanced fight. Whilst in the opening laps the two raced together, the World Champion stamped his authority in a fast and sandy course where he was expected to thrive.

“It was a good cross and a good restart after the training camp. This week we did different things than in an ideal cross week and that is reflected. A superior Mathieu rode great through the sand strips and we sometimes saw Wout fumbling a bit there. Although it went a lot better in the second part of the cross," Jumbo-Visma's Jan Boven commented after seeing his rider's race in Mol. “It's not the easiest thing to get back into the sand. It's a bit of power you need and a bit of feeling. Neither of them have ridden much on their cross bikes. Then you see that the previous cross ensures that Mathieu has that feeling again.”

Over a minute was the gap at the finish between first and second. It was not an unexpected hit for van Aert, but one that confirms that van der Poel will be the man to beat throughout the Christmas block - even though his two biggest rivals are also present in the field and with wins of their own. Today in Antwerp the sandy course should be relatively similar and also suit the Dutchman better than anyone, but Boven believes that either today or in the upcoming weeks, the Belgian will have a bigger say when it comes to fighting for the top step of the poidum.

“We have seen in the past that one course suits Van der Poel better and the other Wout better. Today it was a playground for Mathieu," he argued. "So we will see it in the upcoming crosses. In the end it's a winner. However, choices have been made and the limits are different. I do expect that Wout will simply participate for the win. It may not be tomorrow, but after that it will certainly be fine."