Even a double puncture couldn't stop Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) from maintaining his absolute dominance in cyclo-cross, as he roared to a 22nd race victory in a row at the UCI World Cup round in Maasmechelen.
Van der Poel had looked set for another long solo as he took over the lead from teammate Tibor Del Grosso on lap three of Saturday's race, but a flat front tyre one lap later, and a long way back to the pits cost him 20 seconds and allowed his Dutch compatriot to get away.
With the chase on, Van der Poel took more risky lines and put the power down to reach Del Grosso and eventually form a group of four alongside the other chasers, Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) and another teammate, Niels Vandeputte.
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It didn't take long for the world champion to scorch away once again on lap seven, blitzing past and quickly eeking out a 13-second lead as the penultimate lap got underway. However, a slow pace soon revealed a back wheel puncture for Van der Poel, though he was able to change bikes much quicker than the first incident.
Having steadied the ship, finally, Van der Poel entered the last lap of nine with an 11-second lead and toiled away in front to confirm his victory ahead of Del Grosso in second and Vandeputte in third, confirming a 1-2-3 for Alpecin-Premier Tech ahead of Nys.
"It's nice, but it cost me a bit more energy than I expected. I had two flat tyres, both on a really bad moment after the pit, and it was really long and hard on the legs to get the job done," said Van der Poel, after wiping his brow in celebration over the line.
"I was just calculating in my head all the sections I still had to do, and it was two really long stretches. I wasn't too stressed about the gap, but more about closing it and then the chance to have another flat tyre again. After the first one, I was extra cautious, but it still happened again. I definitely had some stones today.
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"To be honest, 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 and could maintain my gap."
With a 50th World Cup win for the Dutchman, he matched cyclo-cross legend Sven Nys' record for the most by a men's rider, and will have a chance to surpass him on Sunday at the next round in Hoogerheide on Sunday.
The World Championships and an opportunity to also take the outright record for the most men's cyclo-cross world titles are looming large next weekend. Due to his punctures, Van der Poel was forced to give a rare insight into what he looks like at full capacity, and he looks more than ready to take an eighth and overtake Eric de Vlaeminck.
How it unfolded
Thibau Nys leads the chase (Image credit: Getty Images)
It was a dramatic race from start to finish, with the start seeing a pile-up crash in the middle of the pack, and Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) worst affected. He would require treatment at the start, before eventually being taken to the hospital.
The racing carried on, however, with British Champion Cameron Mason (Reds) making the best start of anyone. He held the lead for a couple of laps, but a puncture ultimately put him so far back that he never saw the front again.
This is when Van der Poel and Del Grosso immediately started to put pressure on before the former's first puncture. But it didn't take long for Del Grosso's solo lead to be evaourated by a chasing Nys and Vandeputte.
Van der Poel ate up the 20-odd seconds he lost in two laps and was back in the lead with two to go. Even a second puncture couldn't ruin his day, though, and he survived all the way to the line with a slim three-second advantage at the line, having slowed up to celebrate.
1-2-3 for Alpecin-Premier Tech in Maasmechelen (Image credit: Getty Images)
James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
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