“I heard it happen behind me, hopefully it’s not too bad" - Mathieu van der Poel shares sympathy for rival Van Aert as crash decides in chaotic snowstorm

The Exact Cross Mol had all the ingredients for another defining chapter in the rivalry between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, but brutal winter conditions ultimately reshaped the contest into a survival exercise rather than a pure sporting duel.

From the opening laps, Van der Poel and Van Aert rose above the chaos. Both rode assertively through the snow and ice, trading turns at the front and gradually distancing themselves from Toon Aerts and Felipe Orts.

Despite several small mistakes and a heavy fall of his own midway through the race, Van der Poel never lost control of the situation, repeatedly re-establishing gaps with measured accelerations rather than reckless attacks.

The turning point arrived deep into the race, just as the long-awaited head-to-head appeared fully established. Van Aert, riding directly behind the world champion, crashed hard on a treacherous asphalt section and was forced to abandon shortly afterwards.

Van der Poel acknowledged afterwards that the conditions were deteriorating rapidly at the moment the race was effectively decided. “It was really becoming extremely slippery,” he said. “I heard it happen behind me, hopefully it’s not too bad. Until that crash it was going equally, so it’s a shame the race was decided by a fall.”

Those words neatly captured the tone of the afternoon. The duel had been finely balanced, shaped more by positioning, traction and temperature management than by outright power. Van der Poel himself spent much of the race visibly struggling with frozen hands, blowing warm air into his gloves and riding cautiously on the slickest sections.

Once Van Aert was out, the competitive tension drained away. Spectators began to leave early as snowfall intensified, and the final laps became an exercise in control rather than aggression. Van der Poel managed the closing stages conservatively, keeping the bike upright and avoiding unnecessary risks to seal yet another winter victory.

It was a win that underlined his adaptability and resilience, but one that, by his own admission, lacked the sporting conclusion the race had promised.