Van Aert solos to second cross victory in Essen
Wout van Aert has crushed the opposition in the Ethias cross in Essen. The Belgian champion won with an advantage of almost two minutes over the first pursuer. With his second cross victory in a row, the rider of Team Jumbo-Visma confirmed his excellent condition.
After a reconnaissance lap of the course, Van Aert appeared to be looking forward to it already. “There are both mud sections and good sections here. Both suit me”, Van Aert said before the start.
The opposition had been warned, and Van Aert showed his strength with a solid start. After a few stumbles, he already found his cadence in the second lap. Then he systematically built his lead.
“Mission accomplished”, Van Aert said afterward. “Although I have to add that it wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed.
"The meadow was completely flooded, so I had to do quite a bit of walking. Fortunately, that kind of walking suits me."
Van Aert also looked ahead to Sunday’s World Cup cross in Val di Sole. “Tomorrow we will have very different conditions with ice and snow. It will be harder to make a difference quickly. Whoever can deal best with those specific conditions will win.”
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