How many rainbow jerseys do the Dutch need? Mathieu van der Poel followed up his fellow Netherlander Marianne Vos with a big win at the 2024 UCI gravel world championships on Sunday.
He entered the race as the odds-on favorite and definitely lived up to the hype. He must have been inspired by his friend Tadej Pogačar’s ride at the Road Worlds. MvdP attacked with 100 km to go but was ultimately caught before the winning move formed. After Van der Poel and Connor Swift launched, soon defending champion Matej Mohorič, Jasper Stuyven, Quinten Hermans, and both Gianni and Florian Vermeersch managed to join, though it cost them some effort. Seven riders began the last fifty kilometers together.
It didn’t take long for the Belgians to try to leverage their numbers. Gianni Vermeersch attacked as they entered Leuven, and Jasper Stuyven made a move on the Ramsberg. However, Van der Poel kept everything under control. When Florian Vermeersch attacked forty kilometers from the finish, Van der Poel was right on his wheel, and the two opened a gap on the other five riders.
Van der Poel ultimately dropped Vermeersch with 25 km remaining on a steep climb. The former road champion and current ‘cross champion adds to his incredible palmarès with a dominant win. Florian Vermeersch took second, and Hermans won the sprint for third.
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