An edition of the world championships, the cyclocross ones in Ostend, dominated by Holland who took home a lot of titles and won 8 of the 12 available medals. A supremacy that crushes the rest of the world, even the host Belgium disappointed above all by the Van Aert's defeat in the "duel" with Van der Poel. They, and others, were the protagonists of the World Championship, which deserves a closer look at some of its protagonists, to whom we give our report cards.
MATHIEU VAN DER POEL: 10
How can you not give top marks after a race like his, in which he crushed his opponent morally before technically? His victory is born from the misadventures of the first round that they would have taken down anyone. VdP, however, continued to believe in it, ending up as the dominator.
WOUT VAN AERT: 5
The disappointment on his face upon arrival was evident, as a champion, the Belgian made no excuses, admitting that the puncture did not have a major impact. The rider of the Jumbo Visma it slowly faded away, crushed by its rival, when instead his redemption was expected. The challenge, however, remains open.
TOON AERTS: 8
When it really matters, Toon Aerts is there. It's no coincidence that in the last decade dominated by the two aforementioned champions, he is the one most present on the podiums that count. Third consecutive world championship bronze after a mixed season, demonstrating that he was staking everything on this race.
THOMAS PIDCOCK: 6
The path was not suitable for him, too light for long stretches on sandHe was floating in some laps, one lap from the end he was still third but right on the sand he couldn't contain Aerts' comeback. However, the feeling remains that, on a “normal” track, it is the only alternative to “those two”.
ZDENEK STYBAR: 7
The Czech, absent for years, he reviewed the now dusty cyclocross manual and demonstrated that the old guard never diesFor a long time he sailed in 15th position, behind only the Belgians and Dutch who competed every single weekend, in the end he finished 18th, in front of many kid specialists. A flash of class.
RYAN KAMP: 5
The vote should be more severe, because In the U23 race he did and undid everything himself. However, he was the strongest and despite his mistakes he could have won, but he preferred to cover the escape of the "seagull" Ronhaar. Yet teamwork isn't exactly a characteristic of the Orange...
LUCINDA BRAND: 9
Anyone who doubted her, fearing a drop in condition, has been served: the dominator of the season, a bit dull in the last outings, he had staked everything on Ostend, even working with male colleagues, to gain greater familiarity on the sand. In the end his resistance emerged, typical of the road racer that she is.
ANNEMARIE WORST: 8
She too, after a season always watching the victories of others, it emerged at the moment that matters most. In Ostend she was almost on the verge of making a breakthrough, but on the last lap she was tired, especially mentally, and this is what caused the two decisive final errors, which they don't erase his best race of the year.
CEYLIN DEL CARMEN ALVARADO: 4
A pale copy of the champion who had dominated her last international outings. The error at the start compromised his performance, but even after that, perhaps discouraged, she never showed her abilities, not only on the sand but not even on the more technical sections. Given her young age, he will be able to make up for it, maybe on a mountain bike.
BLANCA KATA VAS: 8
We are facing a true champion, shining expression of the concept of multidisciplinarityAlready on the podium of the world championship in mountain biking, in Ostend she was defeated only by the Dutch preponderance, but he demonstrated an enviable technical completeness, which could also lead to a future on the road.
