Van der Poel extends his dominance in the Gavere World Cup

Without a rival in sight, Mathieu van der Poel continues to extend his superiority in each and every race contested so far. Just like in his debut in Zonhoven last Sunday and his appearance in the Superprestige of Mol this Monday, the rainbow jersey resolved his second World Cup race in Gavere on Thursday with the usual dominance he tends to show in most competitions.

Van der Poel remains undefeated

The Gavere race, the seventh on the World Cup program, followed a very similar script to the Zilvermeercross de Mol. Van der Poel made sure to have a good start, this time starting from the second row, to avoid any bottlenecks or other problems that would force him to make an extra effort throughout a physical and technical circuit, with a second half sprinkled with areas of very compact mud and banked straights where skill counted as much or more than strength.

Almost by inertia, positioned behind a Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) who had a small scare in one of those areas requiring special skill, Van der Poel made a gap alongside the European champion, the World Cup leader; Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions). Right on the second pass through the finish line, with five more laps to go, the big favorite changed the pace and launched an attack that this time found no response. Barring an unexpected surprise, the battle for victory had ended.

When you're trying to clean your bike and it causes more problems .

Thibau Nys clears mud from his tyres but slides out and loses places! Vanthourenout to the front #CXWorldCup #FLCS pic.twitter.com/dHv8HLWE06

— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) December 26, 2024

Vanthourenhout solidifies his lead in the World Cup

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Although the mystery of the winner had been solved, there were still two podium spots up for grabs and many decisive points in the World Cup. Vanthourenhout, regaining the best level shown at the beginning of the month, managed to drop Thibau Nys, who would eventually be caught by his teammate Lars van der Haar, who improved from a bad start. However, the Dutchman would end up paying the price, losing ground to Nys and finishing in fourth place.

With the not insignificant consolation of finishing as the best of the mortals and solidifying his lead in the World Cup, Vanthourenhout crossed the line in second place, despite the strong final lap from Nys who secured his second consecutive podium in this competition. Van der Haar (4th) and Emiel Verstrynge (5th after a breakdown that cost him precious time) completed a good race on one of the circuits most highly regarded by CX fans.

In Spanish terms, it was not the day for our representatives in Gavere. Felipe Orts did not find his best pedal stroke, having to settle for 19th place; while Kevin Suárez was forced to retire after riding in very rear positions. Miguel Rodríguez (33rd) did complete the World Cup test.

Double event on Friday and Sunday

Cyclocross continues this Friday, December 27 with the Azencross de Loenhout, a race valid for the Exact Cross Tournament where Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are expected to face off for the first time this winter. On the other hand, the World Cup will have its eighth stop on Sunday, December 29 in Besançon (France), where the Dutchman from Alpecin Deceuninck will seek his third consecutive victory in this competition, this time without his main rival from Visma | Lease a Bike.

Gavere World Cup Classification

1st Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 1h05'29"
2nd Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) at 26"
3rd Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) at 41"
4th Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) at 55"
5th Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) at 1'32"
6th Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 1'48"
7th Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 1'50"
8th Cameron Mason (Cyclocross Reds) at 1'52"
9th Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) at 2'06"
10th Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens) at 2'24"