Van Aert got off to a good start under the artificial light in the center of the Flemish town. He quickly settled in the front together with Van der Poel and Pidcock. One time Van der Poel attacked, the other time Pidcock did. Van Aert could not stay behind and attacked as well.

Van Aert made no mistakes on the slippery and muddy course and stayed with his competitors for a long time. In the last lap, after a good passage through the sand, he put his English competitor under full pressure. The Team Jumbo-Visma rider made the decisive gap just before the stairs to the finish line. The Belgian national champion was then able to put his hands in the air after a fast final sprint.

“This cannot be healthy,” Van Aert summarized the race with a smile. “It was tough. The sand was not advantageous on me in the beginning, but halfway through it got better and better. I always kept Mathieu and Tom in sight and kept going full throttle. It's a tough sport, but I kept believing in a good ending of the race. I'm glad I could turn the tables.”

After a second place in Gavere and a win in Heusden-Zolder, Van Aert took his second win in three days. This time too, the riders made it a spectacle. “In the race you always want to win. And we'll beat each other too, even though it's never easy. You give it your all and take the start in the best way possible. But tomorrow I will have a long sleep”, Van Aert concluded.

It’s Van Aert’s fourth win of the cyclocross season.