Van Aert continues winning streak at Superprestige Zolder

Image 1 of 13

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) continued his unbeaten streak for the 2021-2022 cyclo-cross season, putting in a devastating attack on the first lap and extending his lead on every subsequent lap to win Telenet Superprestige Heusden-Zolder. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) sprinted to second ahead of Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal).

After starting the 'cross season winning at the Superprestige in Boom in early December, Van Aert won again at the Ethias Cross in Essen and the next day at the World Cup in Val di Sole before taking a break to attend his road team camp.

He came back at Dendermonde where he rode away from World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and again at the F1 track in Heusden-Zolder, he showed that his power is a level above the rest.

Van Aert started on the second row, having accumulated fewer points due to his abbreviated schedule.

Daan Soete (Deschacht-Group Hens) claimed the hole shot but Van Aert slotted onto his wheel before the bunch even left the pavement. Van der Poel, on the third row, had more work to do along with Pidcock, to get to the front.

At the end of the first lap, the race was already beginning to break up, with Van Aert applying pressure. Quinten Hermans (Tormans - Circus Cyclo Cross Team) latched onto the Belgian champion's wheel along with Toon Aerts (Baloise Trek Lions) and Corne van Kessel (Tormans - Circus Cyclo Cross Team) and soon Pidcock and Iserbyt  scrambled across.

There was a gap of a few seconds to Van der Poel's group but he had Niels Vandeputte to help close the gap at the end of lap 1.

On the second lap, Van Aert put in a testing acceleration, taking Aerts and Hermans along while Soete opened a gap and his group merged with Van der Poel's with Pidcock in no man's land in between the two.

By the end of lap two, Van Aert's brutal pace proved too much for his companions, leaving Aerts and Hermans to be caught by the world champion's group of eight riders.

Van der Poel, Pidcock, Iserbyt, Hermans, Van Kessel, Aerts, Kevin Kuhn and Laurens Sweeck (Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal) were chasing together on lap three until Van der Poel bobbled. Pidcock took up the chase, opening a gap along with Iserbyt at 30 seconds to the leader heading into lap four.

The world champion seemed to pull the plug halfway through the race, riding behind the chasers in ninth and not closing down the gap, perhaps not wanting to stress his legs as he continues to come back from a gash to his knee.

Pidcock led the chase heading into lap five with Iserbyt and Hermans the only companions remaining and a gap of 41 seconds to the Belgian champion.

On lap six, Van Aert lost traction with his front wheel and went down hard but got back up to continue leading with just under a minute on the chasing trio.

Van der Poel dropped out of the race after six laps, as Pidcock and Iserbyt left Hermans behind.

Iserbyt led into the finish a minute down on Van Aert but Pidcock timed his sprint perfectly to snatch second place.