belgie wk With seven riders in the top ten and two on the podium, Belgium had a strong presence at the Cyclocross World Championships, but they will still leave Liévin without the coveted world title. They knew in advance that it would be a tough challenge, and after Mathieu van der Poel’s rocket start—combined with Wout van Aert’s poor start —the Belgian team was out of contention from lap one in Liévin .
Yet, it wasn’t Van der Poel who led into the first corner—that was Toon Aerts . "I had a good start, but then came a bit of chaos," he told Sporza . "The course was more treacherous than expected. Once I found my rhythm, it was just flat tire after flat tire." Aerts suffered three punctures on a single lap. "It was really frustrating because I was having a great day. Dealing with setbacks like this isn’t easy, but I’m used to challenges—especially after my suspension."
The doping suspension, which Aerts returned from this year, helped the 31-year-old Belgian quickly regain his focus. "For a few seconds, you let your head drop, but as soon as you see someone ahead, you fight again. I battled for the full hour." Despite all the bad luck, the former European champion still managed to finish in sixth place.
Read more below the photo! Wout van Aert was the best Belgian, finishing in second place. Van der Poel in the lead from lap one: "You can’t stop that"
Just ahead of […]
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