Cycling: Van der Poel won the meeting of stars in Belgium ahead of his rivals
Dutch cycling phenomenon Mathieu van der Poel shows off the backs of star duo Wout Van Aert and Tom Pidcock at the Cyclocross World Cup on Boxing Day.
The three stars met for another tough “fight” among themselves at the Belgian Gavere.
Van der Poel and Pidcock got off to best starts in the first lap, while Van Aert struggled further back down the field. When van der Poel took a puncture on the second lap, Pidcock suddenly took a ten second lead.
Behind, however, van der Poel and Van Aert caught up together, and on the third lap the gap was closed. Van der Poel then pulled away from the front and took a 15 second lead with two laps to go.
Then the winning match seemed to have been decided, but there was still tension. Van Aert and Pidcock closed in, and were only seconds behind the Dutchman at the closest point.
Van der Poel still had the extra gear and kept away from his star competitor too well in the end. At the finish line he was 27 seconds ahead of Van Aert and almost half a minute further than Pidcock.
– Today I just want to win. Like I said after second place last time, I’m not very happy. I am determined to make a good result today, the winner said after the victory.
It was van der Poel’s third World Cup win of the season. (NTB)
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