Wout van Aert wins cyclocross World Cup

14/12/2022

Wout van Aert won the ninth round of the Cyclocross World Cup in Dublin with great panache. This was the Belgian rider's first victory of the season.

The Irish capital hosted a World Cup round for the first time. And the show was on with Wout van Aert hungry for victory!

In the third lap, the Antwerp rider hit a pole after a slide and had a very hard time. On the fifth lap, he lost even more time when a rag on the track got caught in his derailleur.

Far from despairing after these two accidents, the three times world champion managed to catch the six riders at the front of the race.  Wout van Aert then used all his power in the long sandpit passage to find himself alone at the beginning of the last lap. He could finally enjoy the last lap of a very spectacular circuit on his own and take his first victory of the season.

Laurens Sweeck, another Belgian rider, took a deserved second place ahead of British rider Tom Pidcock (17''), who won his sprint against Dutch rider Lars van der Haar (+19'').

Wout van Aert, currently second in the overall World Cup standings behind Laurens Sweeck, will still have to fight hard to get his world title back in early February in the Netherlands.

Before turning to the road season, the Belgian riders continue to shine at world level.