Van der Poel cruises to victory in Gullegem
Van Aert 4th as Vanthourenhout and Van Kessel complete podium

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) claimed an emphatic victory at Cyclocross Gullegem after soloing clear on the fifth lap of the race. The Dutchman came home 17 seconds clear of ahead of Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauce-Bingoal), while Corné van Kesse (Tormans) took third, a further two seconds back.
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) continued his return to action with an encouraging 4th place finish. In only his second competitive outing since crashing heavily at the Tour de France in July, the Belgian began strongly and remained in contention for a podium spot after Van der Poel escaped at the midway point.
Van Aert dropped back under the force of a Vanthourenhout acceleration on the penultimate lap, but he still had the wherewithal to place 4th, 42 seconds down on Van der Poel. His next race will be the Belgian Championships next weekend.
The day, like so many, belonged to Van der Poel, who was content to allow his rivals force the pace on the opening laps before he took up the reins and moved clear on the fifth circuit. In the opening phase of the race, Van Aert was to the fore, and his repeated forcing helped to shape the race.
By the halfway point, only four men – Van Aert, Van der Poel, Vanthourenhout and Van Kessel – were left at the front, and Vanthourenhout felt sufficiently emboldened to try an acceleration of his own.
Van der Poel’s response was swift and emphatic. The world champion quickly moved into a lead of almost half a minute and he was able to manage his advantage thereafter to secure a resounding win.
Van der Poel’s dominance has led to concerns about the ongoing appeal of the cyclo-cross circuit, but there were large crowds on hand in Gullegem on Saturday afternoon, thanks in no small part to Van Aert’s presence.
“The last five or six races prove that cyclo-cross is absolutely not dead,” Van der Poel said, according to Sporza. “It was already busy here last year, and this year it’s been one of the busiest crosses of the season. That is of course also because Wout is back, and he has done well here.”
Van Aert struggled with his equipment at one point but, he managed to catch back up to the chasers Vanthourenhout and Van Kessel, though their pursuit was a notional one by that juncture. In truth, they were already racing for second place.
Vanthourenhout’s late acceleration shed Van Aert from the group and the Belgian proceeded to beat Van Kessel in the duel for second place.
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mathieu Van der Poel (Ned) Corendon-Circus | 1:01:20 |
2 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:00:17 |
3 | Corne Van Kessel (Ned) | 0:00:19 |
4 | Wout Van Aert (Bel) | 0:00:42 |
5 | Jens Adams (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:01:32 |
6 | Diether Sweeck (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:01:49 |
7 | Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Creafin-Fristads | 0:02:21 |
8 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) | 0:02:27 |
9 | Nicolas Cleppe (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:39 |
10 | Sean De Bie (Bel) | |
11 | Jim Aernouts (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:03:00 |
12 | Yannick Peeters (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:03:11 |
13 | Curtis White (USA) Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 0:03:26 |
14 | Joran Wyseure (Bel) | 0:03:41 |
15 | Stephen Hyde (USA) Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 0:03:59 |
16 | Thomas Mein (GBr) Tarteletto-Isorex | 0:04:38 |
17 | Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) | 0:05:12 |
18 | Mathieu Willemyns (Bel) | 0:05:53 |
19 | Brannan Fix (USA) | 0:06:01 |
20 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) | 0:06:13 |
21 | Julien Roussel (Fra) | 0:07:14 |
22 | Thibault Valognes (Fra) | |
23 | Dolf Pemen (Bel) | |
24 | David Conroy (Irl) | |
25 | Hendrik Sweeck (Bel) | |
26 | Max Judelson (USA) | |
27 | Lucas Vaz (Fra) | |
28 | Cai Davies (GBr) | |
29 | Ren Tsumita (Jpn) | |
30 | Finn Mansfield (GBr) | |
31 | Francois Chastagner (Fra) | |
32 | Vincent Oger (Bel) | |
33 | Valentin Majorczyk (Fra) |

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Wout van Aert: I'm good enough to win Milan-San Remo
Belgian undergoes a makeover as he chases his first win of 2023 -
Bianchi releases statement after Hugo Hofstetter snaps two pairs of handlebars
The Italian manufacturer has commented on two carbon handlebar failures during GP Denain -
Tadej Pogacar ready for anything at Milan-San Remo
'I don't see myself as a favourite but maybe I can surprise people' says two-time Tour de France champion -
Campenaerts out with vertebra fracture from Bredene Koksijde crash
Belgian out of E3 Saxo Bank and rest of Spring Classics