Gone in 60 seconds: Watch van der Poel take the lead

Every time you think he can’t impress you more, Mathieu van der Poel says, “Hold my Heineken.” At the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Zonhoven, Belgium, the Dutchman showed how he is a god, and the rest are just mortals.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was the main attraction at Sunday’s sixth round of the 2024-2025 UCI CX World Cup, and he certainly lived up to the hype, dominating the race and claiming his first CX victory of the season. This win marked his fifth triumph at Zonhoven. Michael Vanthourenhout maintained his series lead, but Toon Aerts, who finished fourth, closed the gap. The top Canadian was Gunnar Holmgren, who placed 36th.

How the race was won

Series leader Vanthourenhout had a crash-filled round in Hulst but still held a 28-point lead over Aerts in the standings. Niels Vandeputte, the winner of Saturday’s Hulst race, had missed too many rounds to be a serious contender. Van der Poel had won the Zonhoven round last year.

I am once again asking you to appreciate Mathieu van der Poel’s otherworldly power

In Hulst, Cody Scott was the best performer among the Canadian contingent, which also included Gunnar Holmgren and Fabian Merino.

Van der Poel started from Row 3 on Lap 1, while Aerts claimed the hole shot. Van der Poel quickly surged into 12th place and was soon on Aerts’ wheel. He took the lead after navigating the treacherous sandy descent and then surged ahead, leaving the others behind.

By the end of the race, Thibau Nys (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) came in second, a full 1:30 behind. Van der Poel is set to race the Superprestige in Mol on Monday, but unfortunately Wout van Aert will not be there. The Belgian is skipping it due to illness.

Watch some incredible riding below. And if you’d like to watch the full race, you can head over to the UCI channel on YouTube.

It took just over one minute, but MVDP is in the lead! @UCIcyclocrossWC he is back 🥵#CXWorldCup #FLCS pic.twitter.com/Ipj4l7n9GT

— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) December 22, 2024