Van Aert wins a spectacular Exact Cross of Loenhout in a sprint between the magnificent three

Van Aert won the Exact Cross of Loenhout in a brilliant race in which the three tenors of cyclocross gave a great performance in the mud. The race was decided in a sprint after Van der Poel made a mistake when he had opened a gap on the last lap. Pidcock showed his skills and finished third after a race in which he gave his all.

Van Aert takes the win in a great duel of three

The race began with a great start by Van Aert and Kevin Suarez, who threatened to take the lead in the first corner, but had to slow down to avoid crashing into the fence.

Pidcock, who again looked like he was going to lose a lot of positions, was able to recover to third place after the first few turns. The Loenhout event had barely started and the three cyclocross stars were already leading the race together.

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Van der Poel took the initiative and tried to open a gap. Van Aert reacted quickly, while Pidcock took a little longer to reach them and he did it close to the end of the first lap.

From then on, it was Van Aert who pushed the pace. The three riders rode together until the pit stop, where Pidcock lost a few meters that he recovered again in the asphalt section at the end of the second lap.

The third lap started with the same dynamic. Van der Poel took the lead and it didn't take long for Van Aert and Pidcock, who gave up a few meters. The gap remained at five seconds. Van der Poel was riding solo and Pidcock was waiting behind Van Aert.

The Belgian cut a few meters until he managed to stick to Van der Poel's wheel. For his part, Pidcock was back on the wheel of the two, sacrificing some of his energy with a sprint before the start of the next lap.

With Van Aert in front, they managed to leave Pidcock behind again, who was resisting to say goodbye to the victory. He managed to get back in the wake of the two riders and overtook Van Aert when he saw that the Belgian was losing a few meters to a Van der Poel who was pushing the pace.

Still, both chasers caught the Orange Beast as they crossed the finish line to start the fifth lap. Van Aert was in front and everything remained the same. The distances came and went, but no one was able to break away definitively.

Van der Poel overtook Van Aert in the umpteenth change of leader while Pidcock returned to the charge. The British rider lost time and had to pull back to make contact with the two in front.

The sixth lap started with the three of them crossing the finish line together. Van der Poel flexed his muscles a little more and forced the rest to do the same. Van Aert held on, while Pidcock again lost time on the first part of the circuit.

However, Pidcock was unable to get back on track this time. The race remained in the hands of Van der Poel and Van Aert. Given the apparent equality, again everything seemed to indicate that we would have to wait until the end to know the outcome.

The penultimate lap began with Pidcock 8 seconds behind. Van Aert and Van der Poel maintained their particular pulse without hinting their intentions or their energy tanks. Pidcock came back and managed to get on the wheel of the two leaders. He arrived, got first and tried to push, but could not release either of the two.

The last lap started with everything at stake. Van Aert took the lead, Van der Poel overtook Pidcock, and the crowd was overwhelmed by the spectacle they were witnessing.

Van der Poel overtook Van Aert, who was reluctant to give up the position. The two geniuses of the mud touched. The Dutchman opened a little gap, while Pidcock stayed close to Van Aert. The gap was growing. 4 seconds.

The three riders were giving their all. Van der Poel kept the lead. Van Aert was getting rid of Pidcock. And then Van der Poel made a mistake that allowed Van Aert to get back on his wheel: he went to the fence while dealing with the mud that was spreading all along the straight.

Even so, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was able to save the day. The two leaders stopped the pace a bit, with the Belgian making no sign of wanting to overtake him. That gave Pidcock the chance to come back again. Sprint to three. Van der Poel opened up. Van Aert behind. Van Aert started and the other two reacted, but Van Aert would give no choice and cross the finish line in first position to the delight of the public.

Van der Poel, who had almost won the race when he was 4 seconds ahead of his main rival on the last lap, came in second. Pidcock closed the podium and signed a great performance in which he never stopped believing in his chances.

Exact Cross Loenhout – Elite Men

1. Wout Van Aert 
2. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 33’’
3. Thomas Pidcock 
4. Cameron Mason (Trinity Racing Cross)
5. Gerben Kuypers
6. Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing)
7. Thijs Aerts (Baloise Trek Lions)
8. Witse Meeussen (Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal)
9. Timo Kielich (Crelan - Fristads)
10. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin - Deceuninck)