The race, marked by van der Poel’s tactical brilliance, saw him breaking away from his main competitors, teams Baloise Trek Lions and Crelan-Corendon, early on. They couldn’t match the pace of the reigning World Champion. Van der Poel initiated his decisive move in the fourth lap of the eight-lap race, ultimately finishing with a commanding 20-second lead.
Joris Nieuwenhuis, representing Baloise Trek Lions, secured second place in a tight finish, edging out Laurens Sweeck of Crelan-Corendon, who had to settle for third. Pim Ronhaar, also from Baloise Trek Lions, came in fourth.
The race wasn’t without its share of drama. Toon Vandebosch of Crelan-Corendon, initially in contention for second, suffered a crash in the race’s final stages, resulting in a fifth-place finish, 59 seconds behind. The current World Cup leader, Eli Iserbyt from Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, faced challenges with the high pace and finished sixth, 1:11 off the pace.
Van der Poel reflected on his performance and the season, saying, “I’m super happy with how this part of the cyclo-cross season went, but I’m also happy that I can go to Spain and work on the form again.” He also noted his initial cautious approach due to the cold, stating, “I wanted to see how the race developed. It was cold and took me a while before I got into my own rhythm. It’s a tough race, and I didn’t want to waste too much energy today.” He concluded, “I’m always happy to win, of course. I felt OK, and I’m happy I can go and do more training.”
CX Zondhoven results
- Mathieu van der Poel – 59:35
- Joris Nieuwenhuis – +20 seconds
- Laurens Sweeck – +22 seconds
- Pim Ronhaar – +29 seconds
- Toon Vandebosch – +59 seconds
- Eli Iserbyt – +1:11
- Emiel Verstrynge – +1:17
- Lars van der Haar – +1:39
- Joran Wyseure – +1:55
- Ryan Kamp – +1:58
