Alpeci-Fenix Pro Team's Mathieu van der Poel reigned supreme in the second round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur, after finishing in the first place.
Wout van Aert of the Jumbo-Visma team secured second place while Trinity team's Tom Pidcock ended in third place, 11 seconds behind Van der Poel.
Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutch who won the Tour of Flanders, established a rivalry against the Belgian Van Aert, who conquered Milan-San Remo. The fans expected the heat of their battle to burn strong during the whole course of the World Cup.
With Van der Poel and Van Aert making big names before the game, the British cyclist Tom Pidcock started the race on a high note in front of the two. The opening lap saw Pidcock putting an insurmountable distance ahead of his competitors, but Van Aert caught him off guard, as well as Michael Vanthourenhout, who sprinted past other cyclists.
Eli Iserbyt of Pauwels Sauzen- Bingoal, for his part, had hoped to continue the race after encountering a mechanical problem. However, he was declared out of the competition.
The gap allowed Pidcock to take advantage with a five-second window. The British cyclist stayed on track in front to own the fourth-lap start with a seven-second edge ahead of Van der Poel and Vanthourenhout.
The two cyclists who were trailing seconds ago bolted to a 1.5-lap boost. Van der Poel was finally able to go past Pidcock while Van Aert stayed behind due to his inconsistency in lap six.
Van Aert went back on track on lap seven at the end of the finish line before Vanthourenhout spun out of control, and his bike suffered a flat tire. The 27-year-old Belgian racer was ruled out of contention for the most coveted crown.
Van der Poel maintained his lead while heading to the last lap and eventually grabbed the title.
Michael Vanthourenhout grabbed fourth place in Namur and retained his Cyclo-cross World Cup record. He had swept the board in the opening round in Tabor.
In the women's category, Lucinda Brand of Telenet Baloise Lions clinched first place in the Namur World Cup. Clara Honsinger of Cannondale ended in second place, while Denise Betsema of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal salvaged third place.
Betsema dictated the race at the start, but Brand edged her in the second lap. Brand set her mind to race under duress, and Betsema could not keep up following technical interruptions in the sideline.
World champion Ceylin del Carment Alvarado shadowed Brand in the second-lap opener, but the Dutch-Dominican sprinter slipped from the podium finish. Honsinger was able to deliver a crucial catch-up while being behind 41 seconds in the fourth lap.
Brand, who never slowed down, came big in the third lap to cap her stable speed for the remaining laps of the game.
Meanwhile, the Tour Colombia will be canceled in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic risks. The men's 2.1 Class 1 stage was slated to be held from February 9 to February 14.
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