Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the penultimate UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Maasmechelen despite two punctures and a 23-second deficit, equalling Sven Nys's all-time record of 50 elite World Cup victories.
The world champion's front tyre went flat on lap four, just past the pit exit. He rode the bike through half a lap of rocky terrain before changing, then closed the gap to leader Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech) with a 6:56 lap, the day's fastest. A rear puncture on lap eight caused additional time loss, but Van der Poel remained in front through the final technical sections and finished three seconds clear.
Elite Men Results
Maasmechelen • Jan 24
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Mathieu VAN DER POEL | NED | 1:03:52 |
| 🥈 | Tibor DEL GROSSO | NED | +0:03 |
| 🥉 | Niels VANDEPUTTE | BEL | +0:04 |
| 4 | Thibau NYS | BEL | +0:06 |
| 5 | Felipe ORTS LLORET | ESP | +0:24 |
| 6 | Gerben KUYPERS | BEL | +0:43 |
| 7 | Kevin KUHN | SUI | +0:46 |
| 8 | Toon VANDEBOSCH | BEL | +0:54 |
| 9 | Mees HENDRIKX | NED | +0:54 |
| 10 | Cameron MASON | GBR | +0:55 |
| 11 | Jente MICHELS | BEL | +0:56 |
| 12 | Ryan KAMP | NED | +1:35 |
| 13 | Toon AERTS | BEL | +1:39 |
| 14 | Michael BOROŠ | CZE | +1:40 |
| 15 | David MENUT | FRA | +1:43 |
| 16 | Léo BISIAUX | FRA | +1:47 |
| 17 | Martin GROSLAMBERT | FRA | +1:57 |
| 18 | Kenay DE MOYER | BEL | +2:18 |
| 19 | Gioele BERTOLINI | ITA | +2:26 |
| 20 | Théo THOMAS | FRA | +2:30 |
| 21 | Nathan BOMMENEL | FRA | +2:33 |
| 22 | Wout JANSSEN | BEL | +2:34 |
| 23 | Rémi LELANDAIS | FRA | +3:10 |
| 24 | Kevin SUAREZ FERNANDEZ | ESP | +3:13 |
| 25 | Lars VAN DER HAAR | NED | +3:14 |
| 26 | Timothé GABRIEL | FRA | +3:27 |
| 27 | Hannes DEGENKOLB | GER | +3:32 |
| 28 | Bailey GROENENDAAL | DEN | +3:39 |
| 29 | Matyáš FIALA | CZE | +3:45 |
| 30 | Mario JUNQUERA SAN MILLAN | ESP | +4:00 |
| 31 | Lars SOMMER | SUI | +4:06 |
| 32 | Federico CEOLIN | ITA | +4:31 |
| 33 | Zsombor TAKÁCS | HUN | +4:52 |
| 34 | Max Heiner OERTZEN | GER | +4:54 |
| 35 | Loris ROUILLER | SUI | +4:57 |
| 36 | Danny VAN LIEROP | NED | +5:01 |
| 37 | Louis TANGUY | FRA | +5:13 |
| 38 | Jules VAN KEMPEN | USA | +5:16 |
| 39 | Luca HARTER | GER | +5:50 |
| 40 | Silas KUSCHLA | GER | +5:50 |
| 41 | Nicolas BARD | SUI | +6:47 |
| 42 | Ryan DRUMMOND | USA | - |
| 43 | Lennox PAPI | LUX | - |
| 44 | Rhett BATES | CAN | - |
| 45 | Cameron JETTE | CAN | - |
| 46 | Finn WESTOVER | USA | - |
| 47 | Loïc BETTENDORFF | LUX | - |
| 48 | Nicola PARENTI | ITA | - |
| 49 | Yuta OKAYAMA | JPN | - |
| 50 | Felipe Timoteo NYSTROM SPENCER | CRC | - |
| 51 | Kosuke ENDO | JPN | - |
| 52 | Dries BRUYNSEELS | SVK | - |
Alpecin's team tactics
Del Grosso and Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech) completed the podium sweep and also disrupted rivals with tactical blocking.
When Van der Poel rejoined the lead group after his first puncture, Vandeputte consistently took defensive lines through corners, preventing Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions) from attacking through.
Nys, the Belgian champion and World Cup standings challenger, finished fourth after a crash on the deteriorating muddy bank dropped him from Van der Poel's wheel.
How the race unfolded
- Lap 1: Mass crash at start takes out Pim Ronhaar and Joran Wyseure. Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) attacks solo
- Lap 2: Mason punctures while leading, loses 22 seconds
- Lap 3: Van der Poel attacks, opens gap on Del Grosso
- Lap 4: Front puncture drops Van der Poel to fifth, 23 seconds down
- Lap 7: Van der Poel goes clear with 6:56 lap, fastest of the day
- Lap 8: Rear puncture, but smaller time loss. Holds 11-second gap
- Lap 9: Alpecin-Premier Tech secure podium sweep
Van der Poel reflects
"It cost me a bit more energy than I expected," Van der Poel said. "I was just calculating in my head all the sections I still had to do. After the first one I was extra cautious but it still happened again."
On the second puncture: "Yeah, a little bit of panic. I thought it was going to be really difficult to get the job done again, but I changed bike and immediately the most crucial section I had a really good line."
Felipe Orts Lloret (Ridley Racing Team) posted the second-fastest lap of the day (7:02.6) en route to fifth place, his second consecutive top-five World Cup finish.
Van der Poel can claim the outright World Cup wins record tomorrow in Hoogerheide. The World Championships in Hulst take place next weekend, where he will race for an eighth rainbow jersey.
Check out our guide on how to watch the World Cup in Hoogerheide to follow all the action tomorrow live.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
