Van der Poel wins elite men's Dutch Cyclo-cross Championships

Mathieu van der Poel notched up his fifth successive Dutch cyclo-cross title by claiming a dominant victory in Huijbergen. The European champion hit the front on the opening lap and never relented thereafter to claim the spoils.

With two laps to go, Van der Poel had a buffer of more than a minute over Corné van Kessel, and he made light work of the driving rain and heavy conditions to seal an emphatic triumph.

Lars van der Haar took second place for the second successive year after he caught and passed Van Kessel at the start of the final lap, but he was unable to make any inroads into the lead of Van der Poel, who was in a race of his own almost from the outset. Van Kessel held on to take the bronze medal.

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“The feelings were good today, though not top,” Van der Poel said afterwards, according to NOS. “The circuit here is very difficult and not to be underestimated. The course was also a bit slippery.”

Van der Poel has been the dominant force in cyclo-cross this season, winning the European title, five rounds of the World Cup and six rounds of the Superprestige series. The soon-to-be 24-year-old will be a heavy favourite for the World Championships in Bodense, Denmark on February 3.

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