Wout van Aert more than lived up to his status as pre-race favourite in the Exact Cyclocross at Essen on Saturday, blasting home alone by a notable margin in his opening event of the season.
Defying his own pre-race comments that he was not starting his cyclocross season in great shape, Van Aert only waited until just over half-way through the appallingly muddy, rain-lashed course to launch out for an impressive solo victory.
Having stayed with Van Aert for nearly four laps, Jens Adams finished a distant second behind the Jumbo-Visma racer, with Thys Aerts in third.
"I needed the first few laps to assess my form and assess the competition", Van Aert said. "Every lap, the conditions got harder and harder, and halfway through the race, I noticed I was the best in the running sectors. Then, I found my rhythm, which allowed me to build up a lead. I struggled a bit at the end, but that is not unusual on a course like this. It's always good to start here. I am happy that I was able to please the crowd.
"The feeling today was better than I had hoped. It was difficult to predict how I would do here. This winter, I am deliberately taking a calmer approach than in previous years. It's good not to put too much pressure on myself during the winter. Above all, I want to have fun, and that was the case today."
Van Aert's hugely triumphant return to cyclocross will now be followed by a 10-day training camp in Spain and then more challenging off-road battles against arch-rivals Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) over the Christmas period.
"It's always nice to come to this race, it's close to home and always a lot of familiar faces, so I'm always happy to win here and start my cyclocross season," Van Aert said later.
"Tomorrow is my last Sunday at home then I leave for Spain with my first camp with the team, so the New Year is approaching fast."
After a brief early dig by soon-to-retire great Zdenek Stybar, in what felt like a throwback to his glory days, the field in the Robotland Science Park course in north Belgium split almost as quickly as in the preceding women's race. Lander Loockx led after one lap ahead with Van Aert already in second place just behind, but by the second lap, the Belgian champion was visibly trying to test the water.
Van Aert's initial increase in pace did not work out quite as well as anticipated, in what was, with hindsight, perhaps the only indication of his rusty form. However, Loockx swiftly regained contact, with Aerts and Adams also coming across to form a quartet.
Then on lap 3 Van Aert piled on the pressure, alternating running and riding on the evilly muddy, waterlogged and technically challenging course. Adams and Aerts, though, were absolutely determined to pull back terrain for as long as humanly possible on the arch-favourite, while Loockx paid for his earlier efforts and began to be distanced.
With massive cheers from the crowds boosting Van Aert each time he so much as hinted at an acceleration, just Aerts and Adams remained with the Jumbo-Visma racer as they reached the end of the third of the seven laps. However, Van Aert's ability to stretch the tiny group of leaders was increasingly notable, meaning in turn, that the writing was increasingly on the wall.
Lap number 4 finally left Van Aert in complete control in what was effectively a cyclocross masterclass, forging ahead at a relentlessly low cadence and giving his rivals no further options. The race conditions might be repeatedly atrocious and his concentration on the never-ending series of ultra slippery ruts and puddles could never drop, but Van Aert was visibly in his element as he headed on alone in his first cyclocross of the season.
With two laps to go, Van Aert's advantage had stretched to nearly a minute on Adams and 1:19 on Aerts and barring total disaster, the Belgian had his fifth career triumph at Essen, and second in three years, in the bag. On such a brutally waterlogged and cold course, his seemingly effortless, elegant, running style impressed as much as his riding. But whether on or off the bike, Van Aert was ruling supreme.
Maintaining his advantage of 1:21 in the final lap meant Van Aert had no need to take unnecessary risks and was essentially on an early victory parade. Ploughing steadily onwards as the rain thankfully briefly eased, Van Aert finally crossed the line with 1:35 to spare, a single-handed victory salute directed towards his fans and his waiting family as he crossed the finish line to start his 2023-24 cyclocross season in the best way possible.
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