Wout Van Aert saw his podium hopes dashed by a front wheel puncture, as his return to cyclocross ended with a seventh-place finish.
The three-time world cyclocross champion made his return to the sport at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round at Antwerp.
Van Aert had no answer to rival Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who rode away from his competitors on the second lap to victory.
“The sport is as hard as it always has been,” said Van Aert afterwards. “I suffered from the first minute, I was in the mix for the podium before a flat tyre ruined that result. Overall, a good feeling.
“Straight after the first pit zone, there were a few tricky sections to puncture. One moment of not concentrating enough, I hit the front wheel and immediately knew it was flat.”
During this period, he will face rival Van der Poel on five occasions – their next meeting at Hofstade on Monday (December 22).
Last year Van Aert returned to the ‘cross field following his horrific crash at the Vuelta a Espana. He went on to win two cyclocross races in last year’s campaign but was beaten by Van der Poel on each of their four meetings.
Reflecting on his ride through from a poor gridding to podium contention, the Belgian said: “The start itself went well, but then I seriously…
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