IN PICTURES. : impressive victory for Wout van Aert covered in mud, the Belgian wins cyclo-cross in difficult conditions

the essential
Wout van Aert in the middle of the (rr)e. The Belgian from Visma-Lease a Bike scored a second victory in two days during the 9th round of the cyclo-cross world cup. In the absence of Van der Poel, he easily won in a race which will be remembered much more for its Dantean conditions than for its sporting interest.

No Van der Poel, no problem for Wout van Aert. For the second time this weekend, the Belgian won in front of his home crowd this Sunday, January 5. And this time, he crushed the competition since he won with more than a minute in advance.

Above all, this 9th round of the cyclo-cross world cup gave rise to extremely impressive images due to the weather conditions.

Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem

Difficult to recognize Wout van Aert under this thick mask of mud.

Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem

We can’t even see the Visma-Lease a Bike jersey that he wears all season (and for a long time to come since he signed a lifetime contract with the team).

Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem
Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem

It was on a ground dotted with huge puddles that van Aert dominated his competitors. The ground was so waterlogged that the participants’ bikes sank into the mud, leaving large furrows.

Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem
Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem

It is in particular by minimizing the number of passages on foot that the Belgian got the better of the competition. On several occasions he was the only one to pass certain bumps on his bike.

Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem
Second victory of the weekend for Van Aert, who had already won the day before in Gullegem

Having fallen into a difficult to negotiate bend, we simply no longer recognize the 2016, 2017 and 2018 cyclo-cross world champion when he crosses the finish line to celebrate his victory.

-

-

PREV Nintendo Switch receives its first non-reboot update of 2025 – Nintendo Switch
NEXT “Yes it’s possible”: TPMP soon on CStar? Cyril Hanouna says more about the future of the show (ZAPTV)