Van der Poel changes strategy in Mol and still wins

There was no surprise in the second of the twelve races that initially make up the 24-25 calendar of the world cyclocross champion. However, this time, Mathieu van der Poel changed his strategy compared to the previous day's Zonhoven World Cup, comfortably riding in the large leading group until launching his attack in the fourth of the ten laps on the attractive Mol circuit.

Van der Poel extends his dominance in the fifth round of the Superprestige 

Although the major cyclocross races start in the fall, the arrival of winter, more specifically the rainbow jersey worn by Mathieu van der Poel, has once again completely changed the competitive paradigm of a discipline dominated for some time now by the uncompromising tyranny of the Dutch cyclist.

If on Sunday he needed just over 1 minute to take the lead in his seasonal debut in Zonhoven, despite starting from the third row, this time he waited until the fourth lap, almost halfway through the race, to change the pace violently near the entrance to the second sand section of one of his favorite circuits.

He doesn't wait for anyone

 he imposes his attack in the sand and only Laurens Sweeck can follow him

The Dutchman breaks the race in half pic.twitter.com/5Ghi8euekL (http://pic.twitter.com/5Ghi8euekL)

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) December 23, 2024

A determined Laurens Sweeck extended the excitement of the Zilvermeercross

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The novelty in Mol was that this tough initial attack was not enough to distance himself from the rest of the competitors. Belgian Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon), with as much pride as legs, was able to stay on Van der Poel's wheel thanks mainly to his skill in the technical sections of the course. The winner of the last two Superprestige rounds lost ground in the faster parts of the Flemish circuit, but managed to regain space, even getting on the wheel of the top favorite, every time he faced one of the sand sections.

That determination allowed Sweeck to keep pace with Van der Poel for another two laps, although the sixth lap proved decisive in the outcome of the race. Exhausted, pushed to the limit by a rider who perhaps only the best Van Aert could challenge, the Crelan-Corendon man crossed the finish line almost half a minute behind a leader who from that point on dedicated himself to extending his lead and adding more minutes of competition with the clear goal of winning his seventh elite world title next February.

Battle for the last spot on the podium

With the second place secured for Sweeck, the fight for the third spot was more closely contested, with the added factor that the Superprestige leadership was also at stake. Still not finding his best form of the season, Felipe Orts (8th) once again displayed the Spanish champion jersey among the top positions. The rider from Alicante of the Ridley team completed almost the entire second half of the race in pursuit of a small group from which Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels-Bingoal) distanced himself two laps from the end to secure a spot on the podium. Niels Vandeputte (5th), still without a win in the entire Superprestige, climbed to the top of a classification that remains very tight with three races to go. 

Van der Poel's next challenge in his Christmas pilgrimage will come this Thursday, the 26th, in the Gavere World Cup. A day later, if the Belgian from the Visma | Lease a Bike team has recovered from the illness that prevented him from competing this Monday in Mol, the first duel of the season between the two best specialists in the world will take place at the Exact Cross in Loenhout.

Mol Superprestige Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceunick)
2. Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon)
3. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels-Bingoal)
4. Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon)
5. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
6. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions)
7. Kevin Kuhn (Charles Liège)
8. Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team)
9. Daan Soete (Ridley Racing Team)
10. Lander Loockx (TDT - Unibet Cycling Team)