Mathieu van der Poel attacks on final lap to win Hoogerheide World Cup

Dutchman Mathieu Van Der Poel celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's elite race at the cyclocross cycling event in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, Sunday 28 January 2024, stage 14/14 in the World Cup ranking. BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS (Photo by JASPER JACOBS / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP)
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wins elite men's race at 2024 World Cup Hoogerheide (Image credit: Jasper Jacobs / Getty Images / Belga via AFP)

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) put on a final lap exhibition on home turf Sunday and won the Hoogerheide World Cup

The battle for what remained of the podium saw a trio of Baloise Trek Lions in pursuit of the World Champion and Dutch champion Joris Nieuwenhuis closest for second place, just five seconds behind Van der Poel. Pim Ronhaar outsprinted teammate Thibau Nys for third.

“It was good, but I had to do it in a slightly different way,” Van der Poel said about winning in Hoogerheide, the last effort giving him the elite men’s rainbow jersey for a fifth time. 

“After I attack, I’m not that fresh as I was the rest of the season. But it’s normal, it’s a good sign. Last year [before Worlds] was a bit different, I only had one race on the weekend before.This year I had yesterday and today, a slightly different approach. I feel OK, I just need to rest and hopefully next week I will have my best legs of the season.”

European champion Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) was one of the big names that succumbed to the slippery surface in Hoogerheide as well as back-to-back races, saying “it’s difficult to recover from yesterday”, where he was runner-up to Van der Poel at X2O Trofee in Hamme. He took a tumble and finished 14th.

For Iserbyt, a strong finish was important to him to retain the World Cup lead and motivate him for next weekend’s World Championships.

“I am very happy with the GC, but would have liked to be on the podium. On the last lap, I felt my legs were really empty. And now with the World Championships, I would like  to be on the podium. My season has been very good, I think, maybe the best of my career so far,” Iserbyt said at the finish, headed to two rest days before checking out the World's course in Tabor.

Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) saw daylight and hit the front of the field first, then Iserbyt took over at the mid-point of the opening lap which saw all riders strung out on the course. The World Champion rode in seventh position but moved behind Kevin Kuhn (Charles Liégeois Roastery CX) and into third place before the barriers. 

Starting the sixth lap, Ronhaar attacked on the straightaway and Van der Poel grabbed his back wheel, but the effort only increased the pace, with all challengers still intact. The young Baloise Trek Lions rider slipped in a corner, and Van der Poel launched his attack, with Nys matching pedal strokes and taking off with the Dutchman. 

The duo sailed away for a few more corners, but Nieuwenhuis made up the gap quickly. Iserbyt and Ronhaar weren’t ready for a shakeup just yet, and along with Van der Haar, six riders came back together. Vanthourenhout had worked his way back to 11th place, but he began stretching his back on the bike and began to show evidence of fatigue.

Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) bridged to the front group to make it seven on the penultimate lap. But he would not see the front of the race as Van der Poel soon shot away, putting pressure on Nys and pursuers, the crowd increasing the volume of cheers as the World Champion surged. 

Results

Results powered by FirstCycling

Jackie Tyson
North American Production editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).

Latest on Cyclingnews