Wout van Aert dominates in the mud of Dendermonde

Few circuits and few conditions better suit the qualities of Wout van Aert than those that accompanied the participants in the Dendermonde World Cup this Sunday, the ninth of the twelve tests of the competition and the first one won by the man from Visma | Lease a Bike. Without a rival since taking the lead at the beginning of the third lap, Van Aert finished almost a minute and a half ahead of the second-place finisher.

Van Aert dominates in the Dendermonde World Cup

It was only a matter of time, the time he needed to move up positions and take the lead after two incident-free first laps. Not even starting from behind was an impediment for Wout van Aert to demonstrate his undeniable superiority on a course that suits him perfectly, where he achieved one of his most iconic victories back in 2021 by beating Mathieu van der Poel by almost 3 minutes at the finish line.

Without his main rival this time, Van Aert destroyed a race heavily marked by the rain that fell in Dendermonde for most of the day. Although the rain that didn't leave the female racers gave a break during the men's race, the mud and puddles hardened an already physically demanding circuit, providing one of the most challenging competitions of the winter. An ideal mix for the winner this past Saturday in Gullegem.

Definitive attack at the beginning of the third lap

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Trying to catch up to Michael Vanthourenhout in the overall World Cup standings, Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens) was the most active in the early part of the race. Only his compatriot Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) and the Belgians Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) could keep up with him. However, before the second pass through the finish line, the last two were pulling away while others like Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) or Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) began to lose positions almost from the start.

Wout van Aert's slip in the Dendermonde World Cup

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Van Aert, who indeed took it easy and didn't take any risks in the task of overtaking riders, took the lead with six laps still to go and then easily got rid of Verstrynge to set a very consistent pace, only interrupted by a minor fall with no consequences during the sixth lap. Covered in mud from head to toe, with no trace of any of his sponsors on his yellow jersey, he crossed the finish line victorious with a comfortable margin of 1'20" over a notable Emiel Verstrynge and over a minute and a half over the also Belgian Joran Wyseure. Toon Aerts, fourth, reduced the gap to 24 points in the overall World Cup standings, still dominated by Vanthourenhout, fifth in a race that brings him closer to his goal.

The World Cup will return in two weeks in Benidorm, after next Sunday the national champion titles are awarded throughout Europe. Without Van der Poel, Wout van Aert will once again be the top favorite to defend his 2024 victory in the Alicante town.

Dendermonde World Cup Classification

1st Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) 1h02'49"
2nd Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) at 1'20"
3rd Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) at 1'41"
4th Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens) at 1'52"
5th Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 2'24"
6th Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) at 2'43"
7th Kevin Kuhn (Charles Liégeois Roastery) at 2'49"
8th Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) at 3'14"
9th Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) at 3'15"
10th Mees Hendrikx (Heizomat Radteam) at 3'35"

Lucinda Brand seals the World Cup in Dendermonde

Continuing her magnificent weekend (second on Friday in Koksijde; first this past Saturday in Gullegem), Lucinda Brand claimed a hard-fought victory in the mud and rain of Dendermonde. The Dutch champion engaged in a close battle with her compatriot Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) in the early part of the race. However, the consistency and solidity in these conditions of the World Cup leader tilted the contest in the second half of a race that brings Brand closer to the definitive victory in the overall classification.

With only three races left, the rider from the Baloise Glowi Lions team already leads by 61 points over a Fem van Empel who, from less to more, managed to finish third in the Belgian campaign. Although it won't be easy, depending on the results in Benidorm, Brand could be crowned the winner of the World Cup in the Mediterranean race.

Dendermonde World Cup Classification

1st Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glow Lions) 55'08"
2nd Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 30"
3rd Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) at 41"
4th Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) at 1'26"
5th Zoe Backstedt (Canyon/SRAM) at 1'49"
6th Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) at 2'26"
7th Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 2'36"
8th Marion Norbert Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon) at 3'09"
9th Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) at 3'11"
10th Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 3'13"