Weeks go by, challenges change, but the outcome is always the same: first Mathieu van der Poel and second Wout van aert. In Hamme (Bel), in the test of theX2O Badkamers Trofée, the Dutchman won by just 5” over the Belgian, but the gap doesn't tell the truth about the race.
Usual tactic
The champion of theAlpecin-Fenix He carried out his task in the usual way. A cautious first lap (moreover characterized by a fall into a depression who in the following rounds will make other victims such as Van Aert himself and Pidcock), and then change gear in the second and create a vacuumVan Aert, who was coming off two weeks full of satisfactions starting with the Belgian title, waited too long, starting to chase VDP when the gap was already more than 10”.
The Dutchman did not earn any more, the two always remained in visual contact thanks also to the particular Belgian route full of hairpin bends, but the structure of the race has not changedAnd VDP was able to calmly manage the victory, sending a clear message both for tomorrow's final World Cup test and, above all, for the World Championships at the end of the month.
Soft start
A race evolution that we have already seen it several times: in the first lap the Dutchman always stays in front while still in control, Van Aert always has some opponents to overtake and when the rival starts, he is never ready to respond immediately, losing precious metersConsidering this technical aspect, we wanted to hear the opinion of someone who eats bread and cyclocross: Luca Bramati.
«It must be taken into account that This race comes before the World Cup stage – he explains – which everyone cares about the most, so no one has damned their soul. I think that Van Aert thought more about evaluating his rival in view of the upcoming events. The Belgian probably isn't able to start strong enough, Mathieu certainly has a little more brilliance in the early stages, but equally certainly Van Aert is aware of this aspect and will be thinking about it for the world championship race, the only one that really matters. I think that In Ostend it will be a battle from the first meter, the strategies will change there and most likely Van Aert will try to stay close to him to respond immediately when VDP changes gear".
Another step
The race in Hamme, a week before the World Championships, also confirmed some assumptions. First of all: the two have a superior pace compared to everyone else and when they accelerate, no one can keep up with them. Not even Pidcock, fourth today at 1'04", overtaken at the start of the last lap by Belgian Laurens Sweeck thanks to a crash.
It must be said that today's route, almost all muddy and very slippery, has clearly put featherweights like the British and the European champion in difficulty Iserbyt, started well, then floundered Also due to numerous trajectory errors that penalized him. Vanthourenhout had shown great promise, so much so that he launched an attack on the second lap that gave Van der Poel the chance to make the difference, but then his elegant pace, perhaps the most classic among top-level cyclo-cross riders, slowly faded, until he disappeared from the top spots.
Lechner grows
The women's race has also somewhat shuffled the hierarchies seen so far, probably because some are starting to hide in view of the world championships, first and foremost the Dutch Lucinda Brand, exited the podium after a nearly endless seriesThe best this time was the reigning world champion Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado, who put significant gaps on her opponents, starting with her compatriots Denise Betsema at 19” and Manon Bakker at 25”, back at the top after an excellent start to the season and then a long period of eclipse.
The Dutch continue to dominate, but Belgian Sanne Cant and Frenchwoman Marion Norbert Riberolle appeared not far from their level.
The same can be said of Eva Lechner, 11th today at 1'22": «I didn't start very well, but then I thought about continuing at the pace, always keeping the first ones within range and this particular It gives me hope, considering that I'm coming from two weeks of heavy training.I need to be brilliant in Ostend, these are transitional stages." Another reason for interest to be added from a global perspective.
