Mathieu van der Poel was the big draw at Sunday’s sixth round of the 2024-2025 UCI CX World Cup in Zonhoven, Belgium, and he didn’t disappoint, winning his CX season debut in a canter. It was the fifth time he had triumphed at Zonhoven. Michael Vanthourenhout kept his series lead, although fourth-place Toon Aerts closed the gap. The top Canadian was Gunnar Holmgren is 36th.
Preliminaries
Series leader Vanthourenhout had a crash-marred Hulst round, but still led the classification by 28 points over Aerts. Saturday’s Hulst winner, Niels Vandeputte, had missed too many rounds to be in contention. Van der Poel had taken last year’s Zonhoven round.
In Hulst Cody Scott had been the best of a Canadian contingent that included Gunnar Holmgren and Fabian Merino.
Van der Poel started from Row 3 on Lap 1. Aerts claimed the hole shot. MvdP was up to 12th immediately and soon on Aerts’ wheel. He took the lead on the hairy sandy descent and then bolted on the others. Aerts, Pim Ronhaar and Eli Iserbyt were the closest pursuers. The world champion’s lead was 21 seconds after the first circuit. Cody Scott was 42nd and Merino 63rd.
Vanthourenhout was obviously feeling the effect of Saturday’s crashes, entering Lap 2 of 8 in 13th. European champion Thibau Nys joined the chase and pulled with teammate Ronhaar. With MvdP romping away, the podium battle became the main competition. Laurens Sweeck and Joran Wyseure threw their helmets in the ring, but Ronhaar and Nys wanted those steps for the Baloise Trek Lions. Scott was 48th and Merino 63rd.
By Lap 4 the man in the rainbow jersey was 50 seconds clear, and Nys was in between van der Poel and an octet of chasers. Gunnar Holmgren was top Canadian in 39th.
At the midpoint, Nys was a minute behind van der Poel but almost 30 seconds ahead of the Ronhaar, Iserbyt, Aerts, Vanthourenhout chase. On Lap 6, with Nys holding his gap, Lars van der Haar and Wyseure were engaged in the skirmish for the final podium spot.
Nys’s gap wasn’t as formidible at the start of the penultimate lap. Holmgren was still top Canadian in 36th. Iserbyt and Aerts caught van der Haar and Wyseure, but a crash into the barriers complicated the task for Isberyt.
When he heard the bell, van der Poel was 1:30 in the clear. Nys held 17 seconds over the Aerts gang, but midway through the final circuit, Aerts…
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