Van Aert, starting from the fourth row, did not have the start he had hoped for. The triple world champion touched a fence with his hip and lost precious time. With a rip in his bib, Van Aert made his way to the front and picked up a lot of opponents. At the first finish passage, he joined the chasing group behind the sole leader Mathieu van der Poel.

The Dutchman grabbed a big lead and rode unthreatened to his seventh world title. Behind Van der Poel, Van Aert showed he had excellent legs. In the battle for second place, he rode away from Thibau Nys and Joris Nieuwenhuis and convincingly secured silver. For Van Aert, it was his eighth time on the World Championship podium.

"I am satisfied with the race I rode. I knew beforehand that everything had to be in place for me to compete with Mathieu, but in the first corner I almost crashed. I stopped briefly and lost precious time. With someone like Mathieu you know it will be difficult to come back, but I assumed I could compete for the podium spots."

Van Aert returned to the chasing group thanks to an impressive catch-up. "I came back faster than expected. When I was riding in second position, I felt that I didn't lose so much time compared to Mathieu. I think that's a good sign." Despite the unfortunate start, Van Aert had enjoyed himself. "I had a fantastic week. I was extremely pleased that everyone appreciated my decision to participate here. I'm glad I was able to give everyone a nice Sunday."