World champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) conquered heavy snow and an early crash to solo to his eighth win of the season at Exact Cross Mol, after Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) crashed out of a tense battle between the two.
Van der Poel went away solo early on in the nine-lap race, but his own crash on lap four saw Van Aert able to catch him, and the pair spent two laps together. However, in the slippery, snowy conditions, Van Aert then crashed in the wheel of Van der Poel, soon pulling out of the race with a bleeding knee and more bad luck this cyclocross season.
Toon Aerts (Charles Liègeois-Deschacht) took second with Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) taking third some way down on Van der Poel, both also facing difficulties in the treacherous conditions.
It was on the fourth lap that Van der Poel slid out on a corner and crashed, struggling with cold hands. He was up and riding again quickly, but it had clearly slowed him – he shed around 15 seconds – and Van Aert rejoined his wheel as the pair started the fifth lap.
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…