After the Scheldecross on Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel also proved to be the strongest in Namur. He won the World Cross in and around the Namur Citadel after a smart race. Wout Van Aert had to be content with second place after three costly mistakes. He crashed twice in the same place and also came to a standstill on a climb. He remains in the lead of the World Cup.

Wout van Aert defended his big lead in the World Cup in Namur. Because of the injuries of Mathieu van der Poel at the beginning of the season, the Dutchman is far behind in the overall standings but van der Poel showed that he is currently the strongest with his win on Saturday at the Scheldecross.

The pair battled it out again in Namur and this weekend he cyclo-cross fans got everything they could ask for. The two started started the race well, but Van Aert was already on the ground in the first lap. He slipped out in a technical section, allowing van der Poel to get a first gap. Van Aert quickly got bag but in the second lap, he again had a problem.

Van der Poel pulled through and got another gap but a strong Van Aert didn’t give up. In the fourth lap, he again latched onto van der Poel and Tom Meeusen, but then he made a third mistake. Van Aert’s handlebars hit the barrier and he had to let the duo go. Van der Poel was not faultless though and his lead of 17 seconds melted away.

Tom Meeusen had alreadyblown up, but Kevin Pauwels showed his good form for the second day in a row. He got back into the game as a third contender but like in the Scheldecross he was happy with third place. Van Aert and Van der Poel attacked each other in the final lap. The stars stayed together for a long time but on the climb in the foresy, van der Poel finally made the difference. He arrived solo at the finish ahead of Wout Van Aert and Kevin Pauwels.

Result

1. Mathieu van der Poel 1.04.20

2. Wout Van Aert +0.16

3. Kevin Pauwels +0.27

4. Tom Meeusen +1.08

5. Laurens Sweeck +1.22

6. Corne van Kessel +1.32

7. Toon Aerts +1.37

8. Michael Vanthourenhout +1.48

9. Marcel Meisen +2.33

10. Klaas Vantornout +2.44

Overall standings

1. Wout Van Aer 370

2. Kevin Pauwels 294

3. Laurens Sweeck 279

4. Tom Meeusen 257

5. Michael Vanthourenhout 256

6. Toon Aerts 241

7. Mathieu van der Poel 240

8. Gianni Vermeersch 212

9. Corne van Kessel 194

10. Tim Merlier 191