Van Aert seizes second cross victory of the season in Mol
Wout van Aert has won the Zilvermeercross in Mol, Belgium. Halfway into the race, the Belgian champion and Mathieu van der Poel rode away from the world champion Pidcock and others. In the final section, he also left the Dutchman on the spot. It is Van Aert's second victory of this cyclocross season.
Van Aert was not rested at the start of the race following an intensive training camp, the reconnaissance for the Paris-Roubaix race, and yesterday's team presentation. "But if I didn't have faith in a good result, I wouldn't have started here", he said beforehand.
A few moments later, the 28-year-old Belgian made it happen. Van Aert maneuvered his way into an elite group of five riders right away. He and Van der Poel accelerated halfway through the race. Along the way, Van Aert impressed while running on the many sandy sections of the course in Mol. A small gap proved sufficient. The Belgian held the lead until the last lap, earning his second victory of the year.
"It's a good start to a hectic period"
"I didn't expect to win here", Van Aert admitted. "Maybe that makes this victory all the more sweet. The first part was mostly about probing and identifying good and bad lines. The second part went a lot better, and I created a gap. I can only be satisfied with today. It's a good start to a hectic period. As a young child, I rode championships here. It's a beautiful course in my home region. I have a lot of great memories here. That makes this win even more brilliant."
