Van Aert and Van der Poel battled to the end of the race in what has led to one of many epic battles leading to worlds. Footage from Sproza
The road to the Cyclocross World Championship is being laid with the final cobblestones. The Americans have picked their final squad, the Irish are declining to send any of their riders due to no one meeting their qualification process, and last but far from least, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel are tossing their names into the hat of the Elites rather than the U23 race.
All year, the two have been outgunning each other in an attempt to give the cyclocross world a taste of a long rivalry that’s sure to follow. The Flandriencross in Hamme proved to be just one of the epic showdowns between the great young riders.
For SVENNESS 3. 9, Bill Schieken of CXHairs.com examines the rare usage of team tactics in the top level of cyclocross, the line selection around corners, and the ever present run vs. ride dilemma.
