Mathieu Van der Poel sends Wout Van Aert into a spin and stamps his mark on the classic Azencross in Loenhout, a race valid for the Challenge X2O Trofee Badkamers. The battle between the two cyclocross giants was spectacular, with both riders leaving the rest of the group behind by the third lap, igniting the enthusiasm of the large crowd. Their head-to-head duel lasted just under a lap before the world champion decided to change pace, accelerating decisively and breaking away from the Visma Lease a Bike Belgian rider.

Van Der Poel then flew to his sixth consecutive victory - a record - ahead of Niels Vandeputte, with Joris Nieuwenhuis completing the podium. Van Aert was particularly unlucky, dealing with a double mechanical incident: while he recovered after the first, the second proved costly, dropping him to thirteenth place before climbing back to ninth.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Mathieu van der Poel
2. Niels Vandeputte
3. Joris Nieuwenhuis
4. Ryan Kamp
5. Toon Aerts
6. Anton Ferdinande
7. Cameron Mason
8. Yorben Lauryssen
9. Wout van Aert