Cyclo-cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) continued his utter dominance in the World Cup in Benidorm, soloing from the first lap to the finish to extend his lead in the series.
Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) out-paced Spanish champion Felipe Orts (Ridley) to claim second.
I didn’t expect to be alone for so long. Normally it’s always decided in the last lap here. I thought this year would be the same. The conditions were a bit different,” Van der Poel said afterwards in his flash TV interview.
“[Teammate] Tibor [del Grosso] did a very good first lap and I saw a little gap and decided to immediately go for it.
“I pushed for one or two laps really hard and hoped the riders were a bit looking at each other, and that’s what happened, I think.”
How it unfolded
Sunny skies and a lap that was wickedly fast mix of dry dirt, grass, deep sand, and some sections of standing water met the 55-rider field for the elite men’s race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Benidorm.
After a small mistake at the gun, Van der Poel quickly recovered to slot onto the wheel of Del Grosso, who took the hole shot.
Their attentiveness paid off when, on the first trip over the hurdles, European Champion Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché) made an error and went over the bars while on Van der Poel’s wheel and briefly blocked the rest of the field.
That gaffe gave Del Grosso and Van der Poel an immediate gap, and the Dutch champion was happy to sit up when Van der Poel accelerated to ride away solo.
Belgian…
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