Mathieu van der Poel took impressive victories in Herentals and Mol, and Antwerp was no different. After loosing many positions due to a mishap at the start, he soared through the field and comfortably set off for another solo win. However, he is aware that this will not always be the case.
“Be careful, a week can make a big difference. Wout is also still looking for his best cross form, but that could suddenly be there next week," van der Poel told Wielerflits following the race in Belgium this Sunday afternoon. "We all know what he is capable of." Van Aert talked about he is not yet able to do a full hour at maximum effort and managed his effort in Antwerp for second. In Mol he tried keeping up with the Dutchman but couldn't after a few laps.
With Tom Pidcock out of the picture in Antwerp and the rest unable to keep up with his attack once again, it becomes the trademark image of his cyclocross season so far. However van der Poel is aware that in other tracks this can be different, but also van Aert may still find better form and be a great competitor.
“Do I feel unbeatable? No definitely not. I can certainly lose another cross. Now they are all fast crosses that suit me, but I also hope that we will get a few more mud crosses.”
3 out of 3 for @mathieuvdpoel in CX. He was able to quickly turn a poor start in Antwerp into an overwhelming mastery. Ceylin Alvarado finished 4th in the women’s race & remains leader in @UCIcyclocrossWC. And we have another leader: Tibor del Grosso, who won the U23 race
