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Mathieu Van der Poel (Netherlands) secured an elite men’s record-equalling seventh UCI Cyclo-cross World Championship title following a commanding ride in Liévin.
Arch rival Wout van Aert (Belgium) suffered a first-lap crash while trying to reach the front and was left in second, while fellow Belgian Thibau Nys rounded out the podium in third.
Van der Poel has now matched Eric De Vlaeminck historic number of seven elite men’s world titles and will have the chance to break that record next year at Hulst on home Netherlands turf.
Dutch rider Marianne Vos holds the all-time record for the number of elite cyclocross Worlds victories, having won eight elite women’s cyclocross world titles in her career.
Van der Poel’s rival Van Aert had the expectation of Belgium on his shoulders, but a fourth-row start was his undoing.
Van Aert was boxed in from the start and then lost 46 seconds in a crash, which left him down in 37th.
The large Belgium squad waited for their leader, but the damage was done as Van der Poel powered away on the opening lap to victory in front of an estimated 35,000 spectators.
Van Aert rode most of the race chasing alone in second but failed to pull the gap back on his rival.
Meanwhile, Nys saw off a challenge from Joris Nieuwenhuis…
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