Mathieu van der Poel kept his cool in the final lap and waited for the right moment to make the winning move at World Cup #13 in Benidorm, Spain on Sunday. Runner-up, Wout van Aert, gave Van der Poel a run for his money but ran out of time – and pavement – and had to settle for 2nd place. Rounding out the podium in 3rd was Eli Iserbyt, who put in one of his best performances, while Laurens Sweeck placed 4th and sealed the overall victory for the UCI World Cup CX series.
How It Happened
From the start, the Elite Men’s race was fast and furious, with Mathieu van der Poel driving the pace and stringing out the field for most of the 9 lap race. Following him closely throughout the race was rival Wout van Aert, who helped keep the pace high. Eli Iserbyt and Laurens Sweeck were the only two riders who were able to stay with the two leaders for most of the race. The remainder of the field splintered and fell our of contention early on.
While there were plenty of early attacks made by the leaders, the fast course (6:30 lap times) and tight 180 degree turns made it difficult for anyone to gain more than a few seconds on the others. Van der Poel was the most active in forcing gaps, but was also the wisest in deploying his energy. Van Aert looked strong as ever, but seemed to lack the sharpness he had in December during the Kerstperiode – winter holiday ‘cross races.
As the race progressed, it was clear that the long sections of pavement and grass were to Van der Poel’s and Van Aert’s advantage, and that Sweeck and Iserbyt were only hanging as a result of the two leaders letting up after the long straightaways.
By lap 8, the high pace was beginning to take its toll and Van der Poel decided it was time to continue the battle alone with Van Aert. Using the sand section as a springboard, Van der Poel cranked up the pace with only Van Aert able to hold his wheel and the two took off leaving Sweeck and Iserbyt behind to battle it out for third.
Van der Poels’s winning move came in the last lap, when he took the inside line in the final, decisive corner and slipped by Van Aert who was on the outside. Van Aert’s seemingly innocuous error was all Van der Poel needed to take the lead and win the short sprint to the line.
Van Aert acknowledged his error in a Eurosport TV post-race interview:
“I knew leading in the last half lap was crucial to take the win. I regret a bit my tactics. I was more focused to stay on the front than instead of setting a hard pace. Mathieu surprised me a little bit passing me in the park … and I couldn’t make up anymore.”
Eurosport TV
Behind, Iserbyt successfully held off Sweeck for the 3rd place podium spot, while Sweeck became the overall winner of World Cup series with his 4th place finish.
