Cycling: Mathieu van der Poel has become cyclocross world champion for the fifth time in a career. The Dutchman defeated his eternal rival Wout van Aert from Belgium in a gripping race in Hoogerheide.
Van der Poel & Van Aert engage in an epic duel
It was to be expected Mathieu van der Poel and wout van aert will duel in Hoogerheide in the fight for the World Championship title in cyclocross. And that's exactly how it should be up to the last meter. Only in the final sprint was it decided who would start in the rainbow jersey for the coming months. The two top favorites already pulled away from the competition in the first of ten rounds and made it clear early on: The world championship title can only go through them. After that, the Belgian and the Dutchman attacked each other several times in different places, but they didn't let themselves be left behind. So the decision was not made until the final sprint, which Mathieu van der Poel started right after the corner. Too early, many thought, but the Dutchman was right. Wout van Aert didn't come by anymore.
Iserbyt wins bronze
The bronze medal was at stake behind the two giants Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. It can call itself the best of the rest Eli Iserbyt. The Belgian was also able to beat the Dutchman in the sprint Lars van der Haar push through. Since the two leaders slowed down a bit before the final lap, the two pursuers even came within less than 20 seconds. When it came to victory, however, the deficit increased again.
QUE. A. BATTLE.
Mathieu van der Poel does it!
He is your 2023 UCI Cyclo-cross Men Elite World Champion! #Hoogerheide2023 pic.twitter.com/oN1Wh2UUmr
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 5, 2023