Full for Van der Poel in Hoogerheide: race, world cup, and record of victories

Another day in the office for Mathieu van der Poel, who practically replicated his performance from the Benidorm race on a circuit as non-selective as Hoogerheide. Teamwork in an individual sport like cyclocross, Tibor del Grosso took charge of creating the gap, and Van der Poel revved up the engine to consolidate it and certify a new exhibition.

Mathieu van der Poel wins the Cyclocross World Cup with a new exhibition

8 victories in 8 races contested out of a possible 12. A perfect season for Mathieu van der Poel, which allows him to win the overall title of the Cyclocross World Cup, something he had only achieved once before, in the 2017/18 season. Moreover, with this victory in Hoogerheide, he achieves another milestone by becoming the cyclist with the most wins in the Cyclocross World Cup, with 51 victories, one more than the legend Sven Nys.

It seemed that, just like in the women's race, we were going to have a competitive race with hardly any differences given the circuit conditions with perfect grip and tremendous speed. This was how the first two laps of marking unfolded, contested in a group with Mathieu van der Poel comfortably sitting in 5th or 6th place.

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It was at the end of the second lap when his teammate Tibor del Grosso launched his offensive, arriving with a small gap at the ramp of the finish straight, at which point the image of Benidorm was practically repeated with Mathieu van der Poel launching a hard attack that allowed him to connect with del Grosso, who, without hesitation, accelerated to consolidate the gap. Van der Poel quickly took over and increased the pace, which served to further widen the difference. In fact, Tibor del Grosso was unable to maintain the brutal pace of his teammate. Just the third lap in, and once again, the monster had already decided the race.

Behind, even Thibau Nys did not react, with everyone assuming that the most they could do was fight for second place. Small skirmishes occurred in a group of more than 10 riders, with Felipe Orts also trying to be a protagonist. All the while, Van der Poel's lead continued to grow, surpassing a minute.

Thibau Nys would try everything during the last lap, but there was no way to open up differences. The Belgian rushed into the sprint, launching from the foot of the final ramp. Tibor del Grosso easily caught his wheel, and Niels Vandeputte stuck to his wheel. Del Grosso managed to overtake him with ease, and Vandeputte also did so, certifying a podium entirely made up of Alpecin-Premier Tech men.

Cyclocross World Cup Standings – Hoogerheide

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) 58'41''
2. Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech) +1'20''
3. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech) m.t.
4. Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) m.t.
5. Toon Aerts (Charles Liégeois-Deschacht) +1'21''
6. Felipe Orts (Ridley) +1'23''
7. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley) m.t.
8. Gerben Kuypers (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) +1'26''
9. Filippo Fontana +1'27''
10. Jente Michels (Alpecin-Premier Tech Development) m.t.