Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) won an historic eighth UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships title with another display of brilliance.
The 31-year-old mastered the difficult Hulst course and used the steep banks to power clear of his rivals, with Tibor Del Grosso taking silver following a race-long battle with Thibau Nys in bronze.
Nys carried the Belgium team’s hopes but lacked the power to ride a decisive steep bank, giving Van der Poel the advantage he needed to ride away.
It was a record fifth gold medal of the championships for the home nation, the Netherlands, following wins for the mixed relay, elite women, under-23 women and junior men.
“It’s pretty special,” said Van der Poel. “When I started cycling the dream was to become World Champion one day in the elite category.
“To now having the most titles of all time, it’s incredible. Maybe last weekend I felt a bit stronger (winning at Hoogerheide and Maasmechelen), this course was completely different.
“I really tried to manage my bike and my tyres as good as possible to be sure that a mechanical didn’t ruin the party. I did what I had to do and I’m really happy that it…
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