Fans were stoked to see Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert duke it out–and it was going great until it wasn’t. The Big Two were duking it out in a way we haven’t seen for some time in some crazy snowy conditions.
But ultimately it was the world champ taking victory at the Zilvermeercross in Mol. The dramatic battle with Wout van Aert ended abruptly after the Belgian went down badly.
The two stars dominated the snowy course, creating the season’s first proper duel. Van Aert started aggressively, breaking away with Van der Poel, Toon Aerts, and Felipe Orts. However, a mistake in the sand let Van der Poel gain a 15-second lead.
Van der Poel goes down in the snow! Has he opened the door for Wout van Aert behind? 😮 pic.twitter.com/43GzHv4SNH
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) January 2, 2026
The duel intensified in the fourth lap, with Van Aert closing the gap in several sand sections. Yet the excitement ended when Van Aert crashed hard on the first material post and had to retire, leaving Van der Poel to ride to a smooth win. Aerts and Orts completed the podium. The Visma – Lease a Bike did not look good as he limped away from the pits. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
Lo que la nieve te da, la nieve te lo quita. 😫💥
Caída de Van Aert que le descuelga definitivamente de Van der Poel, cuando soñaba con una victoria en el #Zilvermeercross. #ciclocross | #ExactCross pic.twitter.com/on3bYbnMVm
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) January 2, 2026
“It was a thrilling start, but Van Aert’s crash decided it,” Van der Poel said to Wielerflits. Earlier in the day, Fabrice Dufresne finished 33rd in the junior race, with Thomas Deniger taking 38th. Asher Bensimon was 58th.
El dios del ciclismo le debe 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔 a Van Aert.
Wout abandona el #Zilvermeercross de Mol tras volver a lastimarse la misma pierna que en su caída de La Vuelta 2024. #ciclocross | #ExactCross pic.twitter.com/slCOBSb67D
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) January 2, 2026
Women’s race
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took her first dub of the season in Mol, riding strongly despite back pain. The snow had already transformed the course, creating wild conditions. Alvarado let Fleur Moors and Julie Brouwers lead early but surged to the front midway through the race.
A surprise attack in the fourth lap left Manon Bakker and Brouwers unable to respond. Alvarado soloed to victory through the snowstorm, with Bakker and Brouwers completing the podium.
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