One day after the World Cup race in Zeven, the cyclo-cross riders will be back on the bike on Sunday, time in the Flandriencross in Hamme, for the third round of the DVV Trofee series which Wout van Aert leads after his victories in the first two rounds of the season.

Van Aert won both the GP Mario De Clercq in Ronse and the Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde where Mathieu van der Poel had a complete off day and only finished fifteenth, almost four minutes behind Wout van Aert. It was a disappointment for the Dutchman, but since then he has won every race in which he has been at the start: the Superprestige race in Ruddervoorde, GP Brabant and the Superprestige race in Gavere.

In the standings of the DVV Trofee, Van Aert has a lead of nearly two minutes on Kevin Pauwels. Van der Poel is already more than five minutes behind after his fifteenth place in Oudenaarde. On the unchanged course of the Flandriencross, Van Aert, who won the previous two editions, hopes to extend his advantage. "I have made this ranking an important goal of the season," he tells Het Nieuwsblad. "After two rounds, it looks good but there are still six races on the program. There is still much to be done, but during the race you can ride with that ranking in mind.”

It doesn’t bother the leader of Crelan-Vastgoedservice that he has been beaten by the Dutchman in the last races. "Second is still a nice result if you have a bad day," he laughs. "Whether Mathieu is stronger now? It's good that everyone is now involved in our game, but I do not feel that someone has an advantage over the other. You have to prove yourself in every race, every race is a new opportunity. This weekend details will again make the difference and I do not feel I have something extra to prove after Ruddervoorde and Gavere. "