Van der Poel cruises to victory in Ethias Cross Bredene
World champion solos in after Aerts punctures
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) put his rainbow jersey on display with another solo victory, this time at the Ethias Cross in Bredene, where he rode away from Toon Aerts (Telenet-Baloise) midway through the race to win with relative ease.
Aerts held on for second, having lost contact on lap five after puncturing, while Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) came in a distant third over Gianni Vermeersch.
Curtis White (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld) got the hole shot after a quick start off the front row, but it was a short lived time in the lead as Van der Poel, Gianni Vermeersch (Credishop-Fristads), Aerts and Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) came to the fore.
By the end of the third lap, Vanthourenhout was left behind by the leading trio after sliding out in one of the many slippery off-camber rises, while Vermeersch lost touch on the next lap, leaving Aerts and Van der Poel in the lead.
A puncture for Aerts gave Van der Poel all the gap he needed to cruise to victory after the halfway point.
Aerts held on for the runner-up spot over Vanthourenhout, whose brother Diether was racing in his final 'cross event before retirement.
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | 0:59:03 |
| 2 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:01:01 |
| 3 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:01:42 |
| 4 | Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Credishop-Fristads | 0:01:48 |
| 5 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Group Hens-Maes Containers | 0:01:59 |
| 6 | Diether Sweeck (Bel) Credishop-Fristads | 0:02:05 |
| 7 | Nicolas Cleppe (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:11 |
| 8 | Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | 0:02:23 |
| 9 | Yentl Bekaert (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:32 |
| 10 | Anton Ferdinande (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:02:43 |
| 11 | Curtis White (USA) Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld |
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.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'It sucks to be so close' – Favourites miss out in Melbourne to Warrnambool as upset winner snares sought-after victory
Josh Beikoff had an unexpected victory to celebrate on Saturday but satisfaction of strong rides by Australian champion Patrick Eddy and runner-up Oliver Stenning tinged with thoughts of what could have been -
'A trial by fire' - George Hincapie's Modern Adventure hope team spirit will make up for lack of Classics experience as their cobbled debut at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne approaches
American squad set for multiple wildcard participations in 2026 Northern Classics through to Paris-Roubaix -
'I believe I'll be able to beat him one day' - Florian Vermeersch bullish about Classics future after going toe-to-toe with Mathieu Van der Poel in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
UAE Team Emirates-XRG racer opened up the finale with attack on Molenberg -
'It's like our minds are all connected' - Unspoken understanding between teammates helps power Demi Vollering to first-ever victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Unusual victory salute a special sign of thanks to teammates after solid collaboration and support on the road to Ninove



