Results X2O Trofee Hofstade | Mathieu van der Poel crushes Wout van Aert, with no answer from his rival

After an intense World Cup double-header over the weekend (both won by Mathieu van der Poel), cyclocross action rolled on this Monday, 22.12.2025. For the third day in a row, the Dutchman lined up hunting another victory, this time at the X2O Trofee in Hofstade. The spectacle did not disappoint.

The race also featured Wout van Aert, setting up the second showdown of the 2025/26 season between the discipline’s two marquee stars.

After a women’s race won by Lucinda Brand, the elite men’s victory went to Van der Poel. The Dutchman sealed it early—on lap 3—dropping Thibau Nys to stay unbeaten in a campaign where he has yet to find a match. Van Aert, for his part, finished second. Nils Vandeputte edged Nys off the podium.

On the opening lap, Mathieu van der Poel sat in the lead group, just 1 second behind the leader, Joris Nieuwenhuis. Wout van Aert was in the mix too, crossing the line for the first time 3 seconds off the benchmark.

Even so, Van der Poel quickly took control. The seven-time world champion moved to the front on lap two and carved out a few seconds in the sand over his rivals—everyone except Thibau Nys. The Belgian latched onto his wheel and the pair pulled clear, crossing the line for the second time with a 7-second gap.

The chase group then comprised Van Aert, Nieuwenhuis, Laurens Sweeck, Toon Aerts, and Cameron Mason. Sensing Van der Poel and Nys were drifting away, Van Aert took the initiative and raised the pace to prevent an early race collapse.

However, while Wout van Aert shed the rest of the group in pursuit of the leaders, Mathieu van der Poel again used the sand—one of Thibau Nys’s weaker sectors—to distance the only rider who had survived his first attack.

Everything pointed to another crushing Van der Poel win and only two and a half laps had been raced. It was another masterclass from the greatest cyclocross rider in history, who will chase an eighth world title at season’s end to stand alone at the summit, surpassing the record he currently shares with Erik De Vlaeminck.

While Mathieu van der Poel treated the Hofstade crowd to yet another display for the ages, Wout van Aert at least kept the battle for second alive. The Belgian caught his compatriot Thibau Nys quickly and didn’t take long to drop him. By lap 5 of 9, the top two positions were effectively locked.

The race echoed Tadej Pogacar’s late-season road exhibitions: the Slovenian winning solo with ease, with a lone Remco Evenepoel behind after shedding the rest. The same with Van der Poel and Van Aert, once more underlining they are the world’s best in cyclocross.