The Big Three – Van der Poel, Van Aert, and Pidcock – were all at the X2O Trofee in Baal on New Year’s Day, but it was Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who stole the show on the demanding muddy course. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) gave it his best but couldn’t hold Van der Poel’s wheel and had to settle for 2nd place, 1:55 behind Van der Poel. Pim Ronhaar (Balosie Trek Lions) showed great form and rounded out the podium in 3rd, 2:44 behind Van der Poel. A disappointed Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) never found his rhythm and finished outside the top ten in twelfth place.
Van der Poel described the course as a tough one, but was pleased with how he raced. “Van Aert immediately set a strong pace. I took over, after which I immediately had a nice gap. I don’t know if he made a mistake. After that I rode fairly flawlessly. It was a nice day. Especially in such mud races, there is little point in trying to take advantage of the wheel.”
Van Aert expressed his surprise at the gap – 1:55 between him and Van der Poel at the finish. “I had hoped to make it a little more difficult for Mathieu. It was surprising that I finished so far behind Mathieu. He was super strong today. All I could do was give my best on this tough course. I really suffered.”
Pim Ronhaar, who is only twenty-two, was elated with his third place finish. “If I’m realistic, I have to say that it couldn’t be better. It was really tough. I couldn’t go super deep, but my basic pace was very high. I could immediately join Mathieu and Wout. It makes a difference if you can sit in the wheel on some parts and maintain the high pace. I lasted quite a while. Wout slumped for a moment but later he picked up speed.”
