2023-12-30 18:08:18
The series continues for Mathieu Van der Poel. Once again impregnable on the Hulst circuit, the world champion crushed the competition on Saturday in the Netherlands, putting away his two rivals Wout Van Aert (5th, + 43′’) and Thomas Pidcock (25th), both absent on Friday in the fourth round of Exact Cross, already won by the Dutch rider.
Having come close to falling at the start of the race, “MVDP” widened the gap from the third lap, putting Lars van der Haar and Tibor Del Grosso, who formed the leading quartet, away. Pidcock, author of a catastrophic start by falling after only 20 seconds of racing and Van Aert, who made a mistake on lap 2 before puncturing a few moments later, will never have been able to compete for victory in the rainbow jersey. in sky.
“They just had to stay at home”
A controlled race which did not prevent Van der Poel from getting carried away on the last lap. As he headed towards the finish line, the Dutchman spat at spectators who had reportedly booed him throughout the afternoon. “They were already shouting during the warm-up. If they’re going to do that, they should just stay home. I’m not going to repeat what they said. At one point, it was too much, even for me” reacted the grandson of Raymond Poulidor from the Dutch media Gelderlander.
Undefeated this season with seven victories in seven races contested, Van der Poel managed his lead throughout the end of the race, entering the final lap with 35 seconds on his closest pursuers. He ended up raising his arms in front of his compatriots Joris Nieuwenhuis (+12′) and Lars van der Haar (+20”). Note that Eli Iserbyt, the World Cup leader, retired in the sixth round.
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