Van der Poel wins again unopposed in the X2O of Koksijde

Van der Poel takes the victory in the X2O of Koksijde. The Dutchman signs another exhibition after going on the offensive from the beginning and maintaining the ride until the finish line. Ronhaar contained the attack, was left in no man's land and knew how to suffer to protect himself from the backlash of a discreet Van Aert who starred in a great final comeback.

Van der Poel crushes everyone again and also wins the X2O of Koksijde

The race started with the notable absence of Tom Pidcock. Van Aert and Van der Poel started without problems and positioned themselves behind the wheel of a Sweeck who started with a great pedal stroke. The Belgian, aware of the importance of the sand in the Koksijde circuit, was aware of the opportunity he had and took the lead. Even so, Van der Poel quickly overtook him and went into attack mode.

The Dutchman's move forced Van Aert to seek a response, although the efforts were insufficient to counter the Dutchman's offensive. Ronhaar stood out among the pursuers and emerged as the leader of the hunt. The first pass through the finish line marked the first differences: 7 seconds with Ronhaar and 13 seconds with Van Aert.

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Van der Poel spread his wings to put some distance. The Dutchman showed skill in the technical areas with an unmatched pass through the sand. Despite the manifest skill on the bike, the rainbow ride was more watered down than usual due to a Ronhaar who was able to freeze the bleeding of seconds and hold his own.

For his part, Van Aert's attempts were frustrated. Faced with the almost impossible task of fighting for victory, he had to settle for the battle for third place, in which he was soon joined by Vanthourenhout and Van der Haar. In addition, Vermeersch joined shortly after, when Vanthourenhout was struggling to maintain contact and Sweeck was trying to be the next to join the group.

Ronhaar's excellent performance allowed him to maintain the advantage with the chasing trio and the difference with the leader; the dream of standing up to Van der Poel until the end was a mission that a priori escaped any bet, although the rider consumed the kilometers without faltering.

The race progressed and the balance began to tilt more clearly in favor of Van der Poel. If until now Ronhaar had kept a relatively short distance, now the rainbow was making a dent with a crushing pedaling that reopened the wound and began to dig a bigger and bigger hole with each shovel.

The group of Van Aert was losing time and exceeded the one-minute barrier. Van der Haar put an extra on the pedals and managed to open a gap with a group that from then on was disintegrated: Vermeersch was left several meters behind, while Van Aert gave up a little more time and positioned himself a few seconds behind the blue jersey.

Van der Poel continued to dance like no one else; the Dutchman had opened the tap with a flawless drive and Ronhaar succumbed to the insistent onslaught of the one who ruled with an iron leg. 

For his part, in a flash of quality, Van Aert's strength woke up in time and caught Vermeersch. The Belgian did not fall into speculations and as soon as he overtook him, he aimed at his next target. He caught Van der Haar, although this time he had to deal with a tough rival who kept him in check for a while.

Even so, Van Aert got rid of Van der Haar and raised the bet: the hunt for Ronhaar would be very expensive, but the Belgian was now fresher and tried the impossible.

Several meters ahead, Van der Poel spurred the Canyon for the last time and reached the finish line with his arms raised to certify the victory in the X2O of Koksijde. Nine victories in nine races this season. Beyond the coldness of the results, it is worth noting that the Dutchman has achieved the feat with astonishing superiority.

A small slip by Van Aert hurt his chances in the fight with Ronhaar, although the incident did not play a decisive role: the distance was too great and the Visma-Lease a Bike rider ran out of time to catch him and really fight for second place. Ronhaar held the position and crossed second, while Van Aert had to settle for the third step of the podium after a great final comeback.

Elite Men's Results - X2O of Koksijde

1. Mathieu Van der Poel 59'21"
2. Pim Ronhaar 1'20"
3. Wout Van Aert +1'43"
4. Lars Van der Haar +1'53"
5. Gianni Vermeersch +2'12"
6. Laurens Sweeck +2'46"
7. Joran Wyseure +3'04"
8. Michael Vanthourenhout +3'10"
9. Jens Adams +3'37"
10. Niels Vandeputte +3'48"