Van Der Poel wins Superprestige Gieten
Van Aert second, Sweeck third
Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Correndon) won the opening round of the Superprestige in Gieten, after a scintillating show of pace in the final laps of the race. His main rival, current World Champion Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles), finished second, 15 seconds back, while third place went to a strong Laurens Sweeck (Era-Circus) at 27 seconds.
The Dutchman had started the race aggressively, leading from the gun and enjoying a slim four-second lead during the opening laps of the race. Van Aert, who had slipped in the first corner, lay in wait among the chasers, eventually bringing back van der Poel on lap three.
Laurens Sweeck, in fine form after his victory Neerpelt on Saturday, took charge of the race on lap four as the lead group swelled to around 10 riders. The Belgian was a mainstay on the front for much of the race, making a lead group on lap five that included van der Poel, Van Aert and Lars van der Haar (Telenet-Fidea Lions).
At that point of the race the gap to a chase group including Kevin Pauwels (Marlux-Napoleon Games) looked decisive, and it was clear that the lead four would contest the victory. Van der Poel spent his time looking comfortable in second wheel behind Sweeck, save for the Belgian's lakeside attack on lap six.
Meanwhile, Van Aert got into some minor trouble, having to unclip on a tight muddy corner on lap seven. Nonetheless, he looked in much better shape than he had during the American World Cup openers, where he had finished seventh and 14th.
It was no surprise, though, that the winner in Iowa City and Waterloo would end up victorious here too. After his armchair ride for the mid-part of the race, van der Poel turned on the afterburners on lap eight. The 22-year-old accelerated on the start-finish straight, quickly dispatching Sweeck and van der Haar.
Van Aert couldn't live with the pace either but kept within sight of van der Poel, hanging a handful of seconds back. Having been kept honest for most of the race, it wasn't quite the domination that many had expected from the Beo-bank man but come the final lap he was out of sight, just waiting to celebrate his third victory at Gieten in four years.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned) | 0:57:45 |
2 | Wout Van Aert (Bel) | 0:00:15 |
3 | Laurens Sweeck (Bel) | 0:00:27 |
4 | Lars Van Der Haar (Ned) | 0:00:33 |
5 | Quinten Hermans (Bel) | 0:00:43 |
6 | Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) | 0:00:44 |
7 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) | 0:00:53 |
8 | Jens Adams (Bel) | 0:00:54 |
9 | Toon Aerts (Bel) | 0:00:55 |
10 | Diether Sweeck (Bel) | 0:01:19 |
11 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) | 0:01:26 |
12 | Tim Merlier (Bel) | 0:01:48 |
13 | David Van Der Poel (Ned) | 0:01:55 |
14 | Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) | 0:02:01 |
15 | Vincent Baestaens (Bel) | 0:02:17 |
16 | Eli Iserbyt (Bel) | 0:02:28 |
17 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) | 0:02:47 |
18 | Stan Godrie (Ned) | 0:02:52 |
19 | Michael Boroš (Cze) | 0:03:12 |
20 | Braam Merlier (Bel) | 0:03:16 |
21 | Twan Van Den Brand (Ned) | 0:03:32 |
22 | Rob Peeters (Bel) | 0:03:52 |
23 | Joeri Adams (Bel) | 0:03:56 |
24 | Daan Hoeyberghs (Bel) | 0:04:08 |
25 | Nicolas Cleppe (Bel) | 0:04:18 |
26 | Gioele Bertolini (Ita) | 0:04:25 |
LAP | Patrick Van Leeuwen (Ned) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
LAP | Yu Takenouchi (Jpn) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
LAP | Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
LAP | Sjoerd Rep (Ned) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Bart Barkhuis (Ned) | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Gert-Jan Bosman (Ned) | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jens Vandekinderen (Bel) | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix – 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
I hate running, but this Cyber Monday Garmin Forerunner deal has been in my basket all day
The entry-level Forerunner 55 is cheaper than it has ever been -
'Release your data' - Greg LeMond on transparency, skepticism and the new era of cycling
Three-time Tour de France champion says the pressure on riders' weight 'explains the average overall speed going up' -
Black Friday Bike Deals Live: Lowest ever price on Garmin Forerunner, GoPro killers, and the fastest bike in the world
Whether it's deals on wind-tunnel-tested accessories, or tricky hacks for double discounts, the best Black Friday bike deals will be found right here -
Is this Garmin Epix 2 smartwatch the best Black Friday deal this year?
Black Friday sale slashes up to 50% off this top-spec Garmin smartwatch