Mathieu van der Poel Strikes in Final Lap to Win Namur World Cup Cyclocross

Van der Poel quickly moves forward
The start was not ideal for Van der Poel, as he slipped momentarily and got caught in the jostling. As a result, he entered the course around 22nd place. Del Grosso also had a poor start, riding around 30th position in the early phase. Meanwhile, Toon Vandebosch took the lead, followed by Michael Vanthourenhout, Niels Vandeputte, Joris Nieuwenhuis, and Thibau Nys.

The world champion left nothing to chance and was already inside the top 10 after just over two minutes. Gradually, Van der Poel worked his way forward, and on the iconic steep slope of Namur’s Citadel, he executed an impressive move to claim second place. He was the only rider to stay on Vanthourenhout’s wheel. Since the pace slowed somewhat, a large chasing group was able to catch up. This formed a lead group of about 15 riders, with Del Grosso also lurking in the background.

Despite crash MVDP: four leaders fight for victory
Lars van der Haar made a strong effort to break up the leading group. Vanthourenhout, Van der Poel, and Nys were able to follow immediately. Everything seemed fine for the world champion until he was unlucky in the fourth lap and crashed on a technical descent. Van der Poel quickly got going again and recovered his position on an uphill cobbled section, rejoining the leaders.

Van der Haar then tried to play team tactics by dropping the pace for Nys, but MVDP did not allow it. Behind the leaders, Pim Ronhaar and Verstrynge were ‘best of the rest’ about 10 seconds back, with a small group including Del Grosso and Nieuwenhuis around 20 seconds behind. For Del Grosso, it was still a learning experience since he crashed over a tree stump.

Van der Poel versus Nys and Vanthourenhout
In the last three laps, the race looked set to become a three-way battle at the Citadel, as Van der Haar dropped off the front. The attack from Van der Poel was awaited, but the world champion appeared to adopt a cautious tactic. He pushed the pace, allowing Van der Haar to come back.

Van der Poel’s first real attack came after 43 minutes on the uphill cobbled section of Namur’s Citadel. From the saddle, he immediately opened a gap, although Nys responded with a strong punch to jump back on his wheel. The two of them entered the final two laps together, with Vanthourenhout close behind. Nys did not choose a defensive approach; he countered and put Van der Poel under pressure.

Excitement in the finale
Nys and Van der Poel gave each other no inch, with Vanthourenhout keeping the pressure from behind. At times, they let the pace drop, allowing Vanthourenhout and even Van der Haar to catch up in the final lap. Van der Poel entered that last lap on a new bike.

Bad luck struck World Cup leader Thibau Nys, who slipped in a corner and lost his chain, but was able to resume quickly. Thanks to Van der Haar, Nys was able to reconnect, but meanwhile Van der Poel had increased the tempo. The world champion opened a gap on Vanthourenhout and surged away. Nys had to pass Vanthourenhout and saw MVDP getting smaller and smaller ahead.

After a near flawless passage on the steep slope, the win seemed certain for Van der Poel, as Nys and Vanthourenhout struggled more behind him. The gap had grown to 10 seconds, enough to celebrate a solo victory. Nys finished second, strengthening his World Cup lead, Vanthourenhout took third, and Van der Haar fourth. Emiel Verstrynge completed the top five.