Wout van Aert recovers from fall to win in Mol ahead of Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock – ‘Had not expected to win’

Wout van Aert secured his second cyclo-cross victory of the season after following up success in Dublin at the Exact Cross in Mol, Belgium.

The 28-year-old was victorious on home soil and finished almost a minute ahead of Mathieu van der Poel and Brit Tom Pidcock, who came home second and third respectively.

As the Eurosport commentary team highlighted, it gave the event “an absolute dream podium” which many had hoped for heading into the race.

There was excitement from the off as Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pidcock all began brightly, but it was Laurens Sweeck who also drove the pace on the front.

The three eventual podium finishers were kept firmly on their toes by Quinten Hermans and Sweeck heading into the fourth lap, as Hermans launched an attack. The sand proved to be the downfall of Pidcock and Sweeck, who briefly lost their momentum and allowed Van Aert to move further in front, despite his own tumble going round a tricky corner.

Van der Poel came out from the sand largely unscathed and it was the Dutchman alongside Van Aert who were a healthy few seconds clear of Hermans, Sweeck and Pidcock going into the fifth lap.

It was at this point where a battle between Van der Poel and Van Aert for top spot seemed most likely, and the latter eventually managed to pull clear.

The Belgian produced stunning sixth and seventh laps to increase the distance between first and second, leaving him with a 30-second advantage going into the final lap.

And he powered home to victory in style, as the 28-year-old built on his success in the Irish capital nine days ago.

“I used the first part of the race to get used to the course and to discover the right lines. In the final I rode much better through the sand. I had not expected to win here, nice. I can only be satisfied,” Van Aert said, per Cyclocross24.com

While it may have been elation for Van Aert, the same couldn’t be said for Van der Poel, who was far from satisfied with a second-place finish.

He said: “I didn’t have a good feeling today. I can’t be satisfied with this result. I hope to give more resistance in the next races in the Kerstperiode, otherwise I will be only chasing Wout van Aert. Swallow and on to the next one.”

In the women’s elite race, Shirin van Anrooij took the win ahead of Lucinda Brand and Annemarie Worst, in an all-Dutch podium.

Britain’s Zoe Backstedt, just 18, finished fourth.