There was nothing to do against Mathieu van der Poel in yesterday's cyclocross race in Leuven. At one point, the Dutchman looked exhausted but he bounced back and took a convincing win. "I did not have a super day. But then I suddenly had an advantage and then I again started to believe in it," he told Het Nieuwsblad after his victory. He crossed the line in solo fashion.

With a suprise attack with three laps to go, van der Poel left his companionsKevin Pauwels, Tom Meeusen and Laurens Sweeck behind. "I did not have a great day, but when I had a puncture, I made a big attack. One lap later I suddenly had forty seconds. Behind me, they apparently had some doubts. I also had the advantage of a technical section on the course. When I struggled in the beginning, I could easily limit the damage."

Van der Poel who recently won in Diegem and finished second in Loenhout, seems ready for the Dutch Championships. "Now I will have a week without very hard traning and then I will try to win my first elite national title. Whether I consider to ride the Wolds with the pros? For now, that is not the plan. I plan to race against the U23 riders."