“It was a shame for the race” – Mathieu van der Poel rues anticlimactic Van Aert duel as punctures decide in Loenhout

Mathieu van der Poel admitted he would have welcomed a full head-to-head duel in Loenhout, even as he powered to another solo victory at the X2O Trofee Azencross Loenhout.

“Of course I was smiling,” Van der Poel said after the finish. “But it was a shame for how the race played out.”

The world champion rode clear after Wout van Aert suffered a puncture just as their two-man duel was beginning to take shape. Van der Poel explained that he did not immediately realise what had happened behind him. “I didn’t notice straight away that he had a puncture,” he said. “There was so much noise, and it wasn’t easy to look back. I just suddenly saw that the gap was getting very big, so I knew something must have happened. That’s unfortunate for the race.”

Van der Poel’s win marked his sixth victory in Loenhout, moving him level with Sven Nys as the most successful rider in the history of the Azencross. “That’s always nice, of course,” he smiled. “It’s a race close to home that I really like doing. It went pretty fast today, which is also nice for a change.”

Van der Poel also briefly addressed the early incident involving a spectator, who made contact with his handlebar during the opening lap. “I think he was just cheering?” Van der Poel said. “I don’t really know what happened. It was just a flash.”

He acknowledged how close the moment came to ending his race before it had properly begun. “I was very lucky that I could just keep my handlebar straight on a section where it was going very fast,” he explained. “It can happen when there are a lot of people standing close.”

Asked whether he sensed any bad intent, Van der Poel was clear. “I didn’t have that feeling,” he said. “I haven’t seen the images yet. Like often, people are cheering very enthusiastically and sometimes forget that there’s still another rider coming.”

Despite the interruptions and the anticlimactic turning point, Van der Poel remained relaxed after the finish, even joking about his post-race plans. “The flowers are for my mum, because it’s her birthday,” he laughed. “But I won’t be cycling to her house. It’s dark already and I don’t have any lights, so I’ll just get in the car.”

Another win added, but for Van der Poel, Loenhout was a reminder that even dominant victories can leave a sense of what might have been.