Wout van Aert: "I am very satisfied because I did not expect to win here"

Wout van Aert added Exact Cross Mol to his list of achievements today. He created a gap at the start of the seventh lap, which he maintained to celebrate his second win of the season.

"I am very satisfied because I did not expect to win here," said van Aert in the post-race interview. It was an even race for the first 40 minutes, in which he and Mathieu van der Poel were on an equal footing. But van Aert attacked in the seventh lap and dropped van der Poel to gain a lead of 13 seconds.

This is the first race of the season in which the Belgian rider was able to beat van der Poel. "It was tussling when Mathieu pushed hard halfway through, I really struggled to follow him. When I stayed with him, I knew there was a good chance I would finish," said van Aert.

He is very pleased with the result. "Mol is a fine cross. My stats are good here as a pro and it's a very fast race. I'm always grateful to come and cross here," concluded van Aert.