The new starting area in Antwerp could benefit Van Aert

The Cyclocross World Cup race in Antwerp, which will take place on Saturday, December 20, has an important new feature: the new location of the start and finish line, which will allow for cleaner early stages of the race compared to the previous option that has often led to chaotic situations.

Van Aert and Van der Poel will have an easier time making up ground in Antwerp

With the cyclocross season well underway and 4 World Cup races already held, neither Wout van Aert nor Mathieu van der Poel are among the top 16 ranked in this competition, meaning they will start from the third row due to their UCI ranking.

Traditionally, the start of the Antwerp race has been one of the most complicated on the calendar, narrow and with an initial stretch that led into the first of several sand sections that characterize this event, followed by a steep climb where it was common for some cyclists to put a foot down, creating a significant bottleneck. This makes the starting position essential for getting into the leading spots.

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For a beast like Van der Poel, as we saw a few days ago in Namur, this is usually not a problem since both his strength and technical skill allow him to make up ground easily, overtaking in places that most consider improbable. However, his arch-rival Wout van Aert does not usually have that ease, which puts him at a clear disadvantage in this particular duel on circuits like Antwerp.

Something that should change in tomorrow's race as the course has changed the location of the start line, now on a wide street that allows more space for a peloton as generous as the one participating in the Cyclocross World Cup races. The start area is divided into two straight sections separated by a simple curve on asphalt, totaling about 400 meters. This will undoubtedly make it much easier for those starting from the back rows, including Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, to make up ground.

Furthermore, the Antwerp circuit is still characterized by its sand sections, two long stretches of 100 meters that will surely be decisive in the outcome, although the new location of the start area leaves the last one a bit far from the finish, unlike the previous configuration where the last stretch led directly to the finish line.