Van Der Poel wins among the juniors

Dutch riders continued their season-long domination of junior men's cyclo-cross World Cup racing on Sunday. At the legendary track in Roubaix, David Van Der Poel grabbed his first World Cup win of the season ahead of local hero and Frenchman Emilien Viennet and World Cup leader Gert-Jan Bosman, also of The Netherlands.

After the start on the track, many riders were able to move up from behind, causing World Cup leader Bosman to get boxed in. "I was in a good position, but then a wave moved past us, and there was nothing I could do. From then on, I had to try to find a way up," Bosman said to Cyclingnews.

In front, The Netherlands' Mike Teunissen led the early part of the race ahead of the French trio of Viennet, David Menut and Juan Alaphilippe. During the second lap, Teunissen was caught, and his compatriot Van Der Poel created a small gap in front of Teunissen and the rest of the field.

Viennet explained that he wasn't there when Van Der Poel launched his winning attack. "I was in a second group, and by the time I reached the front Van Der Poel was already gone. I got better throughout the race, and in the last lap, I attacked on a technical section, which allowed me to drop Bosman."

"I wouldn't say Van Der Poel was stronger, but the way the race developed allowed him to win," said Viennet. "With this result in my pocket, I'm confident that I can do well at the World Championships," Viennet said to Cyclingnews.

A chase group lead by Viennet included only two other Dutchmen, Bosman and Teunissen. The latter finally lost contact with Viennet and Bosman during the fourth lap.

Although Van Der Poel never managed to extend his lead up to more than 15 seconds, it proved to be enough for the win on Sunday morning in Roubaix. A key factor in Van Der Poel's success was the presence of fellow Dutchman Bosman in the first chase group. "It was a tricky situation for me. He's a teammate, but also my closest rival for the World Cup. I think I did a good job by joining the French rider," Bosman said.

In the final lap, Bosman was unable to keep up with Viennet and thus he lost 15 World Cup overall points on Van Der Poel. With one round remaining, Bosman continues to lead the World Cup standings with 177 points, only 14 more than Van Der Poel. Viennet and Michiel Van Der Heijden now share third place with 130 points each.

The battle will be decided in Hoogerheide next weekend.

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