Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won in Benidorm, attacking through the finish line on lap one and riding solo for seven laps to claim his 49th career World Cup victory. Behind him, Felipe Orts Lloret (Ridley Racing Team) took third place in front of a home crowd.
Elite Men Results
Benidorm • Jan 18
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Mathieu VAN DER POEL | NED | 1:01:04 |
| 🥈 | Thibau NYS | BEL | +0:28 |
| 🥉 | Felipe ORTS LLORET | ESP | +0:32 |
| 4 | Tibor DEL GROSSO | NED | +0:44 |
| 5 | Niels VANDEPUTTE | BEL | +0:44 |
| 6 | Mees HENDRIKX | NED | +0:45 |
| 7 | Joris NIEUWENHUIS | NED | +0:46 |
| 8 | Martin GROSLAMBERT | FRA | +0:48 |
| 9 | Toon AERTS | BEL | +0:52 |
| 10 | Joran WYSEURE | BEL | +0:56 |
| 11 | Rémi LELANDAIS | FRA | +1:00 |
| 12 | Michael BOROŠ | CZE | +1:03 |
| 13 | Jente MICHELS | BEL | +1:09 |
| 14 | Kevin KUHN | SUI | +1:37 |
| 15 | Filippo AGOSTINACCHIO | ITA | +1:41 |
| 16 | Gioele BERTOLINI | ITA | +1:41 |
| 17 | Victor VAN DE PUTTE | BEL | +2:06 |
| 18 | Ryan KAMP | NED | +2:09 |
| 19 | Witse MEEUSSEN | BEL | +2:13 |
| 20 | David MENUT | FRA | +2:27 |
| 21 | Federico CEOLIN | ITA | +2:45 |
| 22 | Loris ROUILLER | SUI | +2:56 |
| 23 | Eric BRUNNER | USA | +2:57 |
| 24 | Mario JUNQUERA SAN MILLAN | ESP | +3:01 |
| 25 | Timothé GABRIEL | FRA | +3:03 |
| 26 | Kevin SUAREZ FERNANDEZ | ESP | +3:06 |
| 27 | Miguel DIAZ PEREZ | ESP | +3:14 |
| 28 | Nathan BOMMENEL | FRA | +3:31 |
| 29 | Matyáš FIALA | CZE | +3:39 |
| 30 | Alain SUAREZ FERNANDEZ | ESP | +3:50 |
| 31 | Gerben KUYPERS | BEL | +3:58 |
| 32 | Cyprien GILLES | FRA | +4:02 |
| 33 | Ismael ESTEBAN AGUERO | ESP | +4:07 |
| 34 | Pim RONHAAR | NED | +4:20 |
| 35 | Cameron MASON | GBR | +4:29 |
| 36 | Andrew STROHMEYER | USA | +4:42 |
| 37 | Lars SOMMER | SUI | +4:59 |
| 38 | Luca HARTER | GER | +5:14 |
| 39 | Miguel RODRIGUEZ NOVOA | ESP | +5:31 |
| 40 | Dylan ZAKRAJSEK | USA | +5:43 |
| 41 | Nicolas BARD | SUI | +6:16 |
| 42 | David OVIN VICTORERO | ESP | - |
| 43 | Javier ZAERA GISBERT | ESP | - |
| 44 | Jules VAN KEMPEN | USA | - |
| 45 | Manuel SANCHEZ ALDEGUER | ESP | - |
| 46 | Marco MARZANI | ITA | - |
| 47 | Cameron JETTE | CAN | - |
| 48 | Gabriele SPADONI | ITA | - |
| 49 | Simone ZECCHINI | ITA | - |
| 50 | Lorenzo DALLAROSTA | ITA | - |
| 51 | Jose Antonio DIEZ ARRIOLA | ESP | - |
| 52 | Yuta OKAYAMA | JPN | - |
| 53 | Dries BRUYNSEELS | SVK | - |
Van der Poel followed teammate Tibor Del Grosso's aggressive opening before launching his decisive move at the end of the first lap. A 7:21 second lap, the fastest of the day at 26.9 km/h average, established a gap that never fell below 28 seconds.
"I didn't expect to be alone for so long," Van der Poel said following the race finish. "Normally it's always decided in the last lap here. Tibor did a very good first lap and I saw a little gap and I decided to immediately go for it."
Toon Aerts's crash over the barriers on lap one, going over the handlebars on an uphill section where momentum was lacking, took him out of contention. By the time Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) organised the chase, Van der Poel was well clear at the front.
Orts attacked from the chase group on lap five, timing his move during a lull in the pursuit. Nys bridged on the finishing climb, tapping his leg to signal cooperation. The partnership held off a chasing pack that closed to within 15 seconds on the final lap.
Career-best results
Mees Hendrikx (Heizomat-Cube) equalled his best World Cup finish in sixth, while Martin Groslambert (Sebmotobikes CX Team) produced a career-best eighth. Van der Poel now leads Nys by 20 points in the World Cup standings with two rounds remaining.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
