And so in Antwerp, the city of diamonds, came the 127th victory of Mathieu Van der Poel in 200 total confrontations against Van Aert (51 wins for the Flemish rider). The Dutchman is unbeatable, having not lost a cyclocross race since January 21, 2024 in Benidorm, Spain: he finished fifth and Van Aert first.

For the entire week, fans, enthusiasts, and media had talked about the highly anticipated first seasonal duel between the two cyclocross phenomena, but in truth, MVdP's superiority was overwhelming. "It was a different course compared to last week in Namur," explains Van der Poel, 30, who has won seven World Championships in cross like only Eric De Vlaeminck has done. "I also had a slightly better start, I immediately took the initiative on the sand, where it's easier to lead compared to a hilly course like Namur. That race was added to my program at the last minute, and I felt it. We hadn't modified the training program for Namur: if I had rested both that week and this one, I would have lost two weeks of road preparation. Yesterday in Antwerp I felt better even during the race, I never felt like I had to push too hard and I was very happy with the pace I managed to maintain. All in all, it's a combination of circumstances that made things go better compared to last weekend."

Will this be the scenario for the entire winter?
"No, I don't think so. Every race is different and must be raced, the differences between riders will always change a bit. There are some similar sandy courses coming up now, Koksijde and Hofstade. On the other hand, without Van Aert's puncture, the story might have been a bit different. In any case, you must always continue to believe. I've also found myself in a situation where, in some winters, I couldn't do anything against Wout. Then you try to keep believing in every race that one day everything will work out. It's a bit like racing against Tadej Pogacar on the road. There too, you maintain the hope of winning."

Van Aert didn't have great opportunities, though.
"His puncture certainly weighed heavily, we'll see in the coming weeks if Wout will be ahead, but I know our battles are always demanding. It's also thanks to Wout that 14,000 people came to see us in Antwerp."

In any case, Van der Poel's preparation is aimed at the World Championships in Hulst next Sunday, in front of his fans, so we'll see him grow a bit more gradually compared to last season. "The World Championship is still far away, of course. I'm confident in the good plan we've worked out and hope to be able to implement it. It would be fantastic to hit the record of world titles (eight, ed.) in Hulst, at home. I can't continue racing in cyclocross forever, so at some point there has to be an end. I've always said that I hope to conclude in style, both on the road and in cyclocross. We'll see, who knows."