The men’s World Cup in Benidorm began on a course shaped by the long, rising finish straight and a wide central sand section that rewarded speed more than deep technical riding.
At the start, Tibor del Grosso briefly led into the opening climb after Mathieu van der Poel missed his pedal, but the world champion quickly settled. Del Grosso and Van der Poel set the early tempo, with Toon Aerts, Thibau Nys, Jente Michels Vandeputte and Felipe Orts close behind.
The race shifted early when Aerts made a mistake at the second set of planks and crashed. Nys narrowly avoided him, but the incident split the field. As riders reorganised, Van der Poel chose his moment. On the rising finish straight, he stood on the pedals and accelerated hard. Del Grosso could not follow, and after just one lap Van der Poel was already alone at the front.
Behind him, the crash and the acceleration fragmented the chase. Nys worked his way back towards Del Grosso, while Joris Nieuwenhuis and Mees Hendrikx also moved into contention. Van der Poel quickly turned the race into a solo effort, riding metronomic laps and stretching his advantage to more than 30 seconds after three laps.
Nys emerges as best of the rest
Approaching halfway, Del Grosso began to fade from the fight for second. Nys, Nieuwenhuis and Hendrikx remained closest, but the dynamic changed when Orts attacked. The Spaniard rode clear, backed by loud home support, opening a small gap. Nys responded, lifting the pace to bring Orts back and then taking control of the chase himself.
With two laps to go, Nys briefly eased to allow Orts to rejoin, the pair holding around 13 seconds over the group behind, now driven by Aerts with Nieuwenhuis, Hendrikx and Del Grosso trying to hold contact. Hendrikx continued to impress in fourth, while Del Grosso slipped slightly further back.
Out front, Van der Poel never faltered. His lap times barely dropped from his opening tour, and he continued to extend his lead, turning the race into a controlled solo exhibition.
On the final lap, Van der Poel powered on alone, nearly 50 seconds clear. Behind him, Nys and Orts fought for second. Nys eventually made the difference, riding away from Orts to secure second place and confirm himself as the best of the rest.
Van der Poel crossed the line in style, lifting the front wheel in celebration after another dominant display in Benidorm. Nys followed in second, while Orts delighted the home crowd by completing the podium in third.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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