Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) made it seven cyclo-cross wins from seven starts at the GP Sven Nys in Baal, beating Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) after catching and passing the Briton on the last lap of the race.
After a hard battle, Pidcock crossed the line nine seconds down, while Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) rounded out the podium at 28 seconds down.
"Maybe I got into unnecessary trouble," Van Aert reflected after the race, which saw him battle back to the front after losing time due to a problem with his shoe.
"In retrospect it's nice that it was so exciting, but I didn't see it that way during the race. That problem with my shoe made it extra difficult for me.
"This win gives me a little bit more relief. That is partly due to my opponents. I wasn't riding against just anyone – you know who you're up against. But I wasn't really thinking about that during the race.
"I was able to use my strength there, so I kept getting closer to Tom each time. As we went into the final laps, my plan was to strike."
Van Aert, Pidcock, Iserbyt and Toon Aerts (Baloise Trek Lions) were away from the rest of the field on the opening lap of the hour-long race, with several others – including Aert's teammate Lars van der Haar and Iserbyt's teammate Michael Vanthourenhout – sticking close behind.
The Belgian wouldn't be defeated though, first catching Iserbyt and then making it across to Pidcock just before the start of the final lap. The pair dueled with one another for much of the lap before Van Aert finally prevailed on an uphill section towards the end, pushing on to another victory in what has so far been a perfect 2021-22 season.
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma | 1:04:22 |
| 2 | Tom Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers | 0:00:10 |
| 3 | Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:00:29 |
| 4 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Baloise Trek Lions | 0:01:16 |
| 5 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:01:58 |
| 6 | Ben Turner (GBr) Trinity Racing | 0:02:13 |
| 7 | Lars van der Haar (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions | 0:02:25 |
| 8 | Jens Adams (Bel) Hollebeekhoeve | 0:02:44 |
| 9 | Laurens Sweeck (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:02:48 |
| 10 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Deschacht-Hens-Maes | 0:02:50 |
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