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.”