March 29, 2024

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Wout van Aert also easily crosses into Essen |  Etheas Kroos 2021

Wout van Aert also easily crosses into Essen | Etheas Kroos 2021

2 of 2: Wout van Aert left no crumbs in Essen. The Belgian champion was Lord and Master of the Ethias Cross Tour, where the field of participants was not very good due to tomorrow’s trip to Italy. Thijs Aerts climbed to second, and Pim Ronhaar came third on the podium.

Just as with the women – although he was much more expected with Wout van Aert than he had with Zoe Bäckstedt – the favorite turned him into a solo show.

Van Aert drained the field in second place and the first to carry his bike to start running. There was a lot of walking in the mud. It was in the alley of the man of power, Van Aert.

Pim Ronhar joined Van Aert, but the Belgian immediately put the Dutchman under pressure. The difference in the first finish lane was just a second, after a rare Van Aert Ronhaar obstacle was briefly thrown into the lap.

But Ronhar lost it quickly: Van Aert ran away from the world champion’s promise. Ronhar is back on set with Thijs Aerts, Belmans, Loockx and Vermeersch.

Vermeersch who re-emerged after just under 5 laps gave up, had saved his ankle during the warm-up and the intense running didn’t help him.

Thijs Aerts saw his chance. Let’s return to the World Cup, Ton’s brother went to look for Van Aert. Although it was in vain, because that bird had already flown away.

Van Aert greeted his fans in the final round and won a 1’47” lead over Ayertes, which happily cheered the crowd on. The battle for 3rd and 4th places was even more exciting: Ronhar finished last on the podium, and Loockx beat Bellmans.

Off the podium, Van Aert was quick to take to Italy. He is the only outstanding player to double this weekend: tomorrow he will lead the World Cup in Val di Sol.

Van Aert: “Tomorrow for the first time in the snow since childhood”

“It was a tough race in a meadow razing,” Van Aert said after the crossover wasn’t a “walk in the park.”

“Of course I’m very satisfied with 2 out of 2. I was of course the top candidate, it’s a challenge to make that happen.”

He’s the only one who will also be driving tomorrow in Val di Sole after today: “We’ll see what that will be, but I think a lot of the jogging lanes are going to crawl anyway, so I definitely won’t have any advantage tomorrow.”

Tomorrow there will be no mud, but snow and ice. “Since I was a kid I’ve been really driving on snow. That was definitely not a thing at the time. But who knows, maybe that has changed in the meantime.”

Thijs Aerts: “Besides Van Aert on the podium, I could not have wished for something more beautiful”

Thijs Aerts was delighted with his second place, which he also showed at the end with a hand gesture: “To be on the podium next to Van Aert – one of the best riders in the world: I could not have wished for anything more beautiful.”

“Essen is a cross that I love to do. I was good at first and chose to walk, because driving, unlike recon, is no longer possible. Between the jogging lanes, I drove at high speed to make the difference.”

“It’s good to be on the podium. These opportunities are rare and so we have to seize them.”

  1. 4 p.m. 01. Thijs Aerts cheers the crowd in second place. After about two minutes, Thijs Aerts was very happy with his second place. With a wave of his hand, he whips onlookers to cheer him on. Bem Ronhar is in third place. Lander Loockx eventually defeated Lennert Belmans in the fight for fourth place.
  2. 15 hours 58. Van Aert fists and smiles. For the second time in a week, Wout van Aert broke his own bag strong. After last week in Bom, the Belgian champion also found a tough track to fit his size in Essen today. In the second round, he left the rest immediately. .
  3. 15 hours 57. Van Aert is already waving in the sandbox. The hero greets his fans/supporters. Van Aert has also already introduced an additional audience here at Kempen. .
  4. 15 hours 55. Clean the bike. Wout van Aert gets a well-washed mare for the last time, who will soon be able to be in the final photo. .
  5. 15 hours 53. Duel for fourth place Belmans and Loockx still have the energy to fight for fourth place. Side by side they are turning in a mud curve. .
  6. 15 hours 50. Van Art finally for the penultimate time. A minute and a half ago on Thijs Aerts and 1’53” on Pim Ronhaar, Van Aert had long known the loot was there. He may already be thinking about what will follow this weekend: later to Charleroi to fly to Italy for tomorrow’s World Cup cross in Val di Sol, then moves from Italy to the team stage in Girona, Spain.
  7. 15 hours 47. Place 3 seems to be late for Ronhaar, Belmans and Loockx. The platform appears to have been set 1.5 laps from the finish. 1. Van Aert, 2. Thijs Aerts, 3. Ronhaar. .
  8. 15:45 Thijs Aerts in second without crashes and malfunctions Thijs Aerts is in second, who would like to be part of the World Cup team again. Ronhaar, Belmans and Loockx – in that order – are battling for third place on the podium. & nbsp; .
  9. 3 p.m. 44. I turned my foot while warming up. It’s more like cross-country than cyclocross here, I’m in big trouble. There is no point in jamming through either of them. Gianni Vermeersch.
  10. Three in the afternoon 43. Vermeersch surrenders. Look no further than Gianni Vermeersch. The returning man dismounts in the transitional zone at the end of the fifth round. This heavy cross was not a gift to return, he had already shook his head several times. .
  11. 15 hours 42. 2 more laps for Van Aert. Van Aert does not release the accelerator. After 40 minutes, he should jump about twice for 8 minutes after which he can go to the warm bath. .
  12. 3 p.m. 39. Doubles must make way. Van Aert is taking another new bike into the transition zone. Some riders double passes. He had to move aside for a while to let the Belgian missile pass. .
  13. 3:30 p.m. 3 more laps. Van Aert drives smooth laps of just over 8 minutes. A small puddle more or less does not bother him. He is inseparable from strength, he is a man with a mission. Wherever he starts, he gives his best. Van Aert does not like half the work. Thijs Aerts We see a lot of rings behind the leader in second place. Belmans, Loockx and Ronhaar are 100 meters away. .
  14. 3:30 p.m. Half of the session. Just like last week on Boom, Wout van Aert turns it into a single. The Belgian champion cuts clay at a fast pace. He no longer had to fear the pursuers. .
  15. 15 hours 26. Van Aert will definitely win. After 3 laps, Van Aert’s lead had already increased to 40 seconds over Thijs Aerts. Ton’s younger brother has been riding with fellow refugees for a while. We’ve lost Vermeersch, Bellmans, Lockx, and Ronhar are still holding out together. .
  16. 15 hours 24. Vermeersch shakes his head. Gianni Vermeersch may have imagined his comeback differently. The Alpecin-Fenix ​​guy has to deal with a lot of walking and shaking his head while changing the bike. He loses contact with the stalkers. .
  17. 15 hours and 18.7 rounds. The organization decides to drive 7 laps. Van Aert took 16 minutes and 21 seconds over two pieces. About 20 seconds later we see a chase group with Belmans, Ronhaar, Thijs Aerts, Loockx and Vermeersch. .
  18. 3 p.m. 11. Van Aert turns away. Van Aert doesn’t let the grass grow above it and sets Ronhaar on a 50m long hiking trail. Meanwhile, Lennert Belmans acquired Ronhar. With Thijs Aerts in fourth place a few meters away. The return Vermeersch is next. .
  19. 3 pm 10. Van Aert stumbles. Riders look for the edges to avoid the mush in the middle. Van Aert drives too close to the sign and keeps getting stuck. Ronhaar passes quickly, but Van Aert quickly catches up with him. .
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