Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) gave another masterclass in cyclo-cross racing and took his 101st major victory in the seventh race of the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee series in the campus grounds of Brussels University on Sunday.
It was his 23rd victory of the cyclo-cross season, and University officials gave him a square academic cap as a winner’s hat.
With world champion Wout van Aert opting to race in Brittany, France, Van der Poel faced little opposition on the technical-but-fast course. He made sure he lead the pack into an early descent through the trees and opened a gap on his rivals during the first lap.
Telenet-Fidea’s Toon Aerts and Lars van der Haar, and Marlux-Bingoal pair Michael Vanthourenhout and Eli Iserbyt, tried to hold onto Van der Poel’s wheel but lost ground on every technical section and with every acceleration.
Van der Poel’s win kept going, and his 45-second winning margin on Aerts extended his lead in the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee series.
Van der Poel slowed in the final part of the race as he saved his legs and played with his riding technique.
Vanthourenhout fought off the other riders to take third at 58 seconds, with Van der Haar fourth at 1:07.
Former cyclo-cross world champion Lars Boom (Roompot-Charles) tested his form in the mud but was lapped by Van der Poel before the end of the hour of racing.
US rider Kerry Werner impressed the local crowd by riding the long series of steps.
Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned) Corendon - Circus | 1:03:33 | |
| 2 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Fidea Lions | 0:00:45 | |
| 3 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | 0:00:58 | |
| 4 | Lars Van Der Haar (Ned) Telenet Fidea Lions | 0:01:07 | |
| 5 | Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | 0:01:20 | |
| 6 | Jens Adams (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice | 0:01:31 | |
| 7 | Corne Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet Fidea Lions | 0:01:51 | |
| 8 | Laurens Sweeck (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice | 0:02:34 | |
| 9 | Gioele Bertolini (Ita) Selle Italia - Guerciotti - Elite | 0:03:14 | |
| 10 | Michael Boroš (Cze) Creafin Tüv Sud | 0:03:18 | |
| 11 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | 0:03:21 | |
| 12 | Stan Godrie (Ned) Team Charles | 0:04:38 | |
| 13 | Sascha Weber (Ger) | 0:05:00 | |
| 14 | Kerry Werner (USA) | 0:05:22 | |
| 15 | Curtis White (USA) | 1 lap | |
| 16 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | 1 lap | |
| 17 | Florian Trigo (Fra) | 1 lap | |
| 18 | Lars Boom (Ned) Team Charles | 2 laps | |
| 19 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) | 3 laps | |
| 20 | Jens Teirlinck (Bel) | 3 laps | |
| 21 | Wietse Bosmans (Bel) Creafin Tüv Sud | 4 laps | |
| 22 | Yu Takenouchi (Jpn) | 4 laps | |
| 23 | Senne De Meyer (Bel) | 4 laps | |
| 24 | Yelle Leaerts (Bel) | 4 laps | |
| 25 | Tyler Cloutier (USA) | 4 laps | |
| 26 | Josh Bauer (USA) | 5 laps | |
| 27 | Peter Olejniczak (USA) | 5 laps | |
| DNF | David Van Der Poel (Ned) Corendon - Circus | ||
| DNF | Marcel Meisen (Ger) Corendon - Circus |
