"My feeling was better than I had thought in advance" - Wout van Aert blasts through mud to win in Essen

Wout van Aert was by far the strongest in the field today in Essen, and won on his first cyclocross race of the winter. Despite not having such good form, he didn't have big issues bringing his first triumph this Saturday.

"I actually enjoyed myself today. It was extremely tough, the conditions became increasingly tough. So it was not self-evident to keep it up," van Aert said in a post-race interview. "I started today in a cautious manner. We rode a fast first lap, so it quickly became apparent that a number of guys were messing up. After two or three laps I looked for areas where I could make a difference. I did that after I could see what the level was and who was strong.”

Van Aert followed the wheels until lap 4 when he made his move and then it was clear that he was above the competition. It was a solo ride from there onwards, with a lot of running and a lot of mud riding all the way into the finish. “It was a dangerous race to go beyond your limits. It was also very difficult for me at the end, it was certainly not an easy cross to start with." However the win was comfortable. Much of the competition was absent, he had Jens Adams and Thijs Aerts join him in the podium.

"My feeling was better than I had thought in advance. Whether I was confused about my form in advance? No, I'm always honest. I think people know that's who I am," he says. "I really didn't know how it was going to go today. It was really nice to race close to home and see some familiar faces. I enjoy it when I can please the fans.”