Van Aert and Pidcock on Cyclocross World Cup Podium in Gavere

Belgium’s Wout van Aert‘s positive return to cyclocross competition continued as he claimed his third second-place finish in as many races with another strong performance on home soil in Gavere on December 26.

After taking a competitive break following the road season, van Aert had made his cyclocross comeback just before Christmas, taking second-place finishes at Exact Cross Mol and the World Cup meeting in Antwerp last weekend.

His strong performances continued here in Gavere, with the only thing keeping him off the top of the podium the blistering form of rival Mathieu van der Poel. Van Aert was the only rider able to keep the Dutchman in sight as he made his break on the first lap, establishing an eight-second lead that would increase to a steady, but decisive 40 by the end of lap three.

Van Aert commented: “It was extremely difficult today, the mud was quite sticky and every lap it was harder and harder to stay on the bike. In the beginning, I was a bit too enthusiastic and tried to follow Mathieu’s pace, or at least to stay close to him. As a result, I exploded in the second lap and quickly lost a lot of time.”

Meanwhile, British rider Tom Pidcock was forced to fight for the final place on the podium as he dropped back into 29th place during the opening exchanges following a fourth-row start, a slipped chain and struggles in the heavy mud.

However, he had made up enough race position to sit in eighth by the end of lap three, and as the bell went for the final lap, he was within striking distance of Joris Nieuwenhuis in third, allowing the Brit to power past and onto the podium, aided in part by the Dutch rider’s flat tyre.

Pidcock said: “It wasn’t like I had a bad start, I just had nowhere to go. Then I was in 10th position on the second lap and then my chain came off. I was behind again. I spent all day chasing, at one point I was riding quite fast. In the end, I was making a few mistakes, but at least I’m on the podium.”

In the women’s elite race, there was a fifth-place finish for Hungary’s Kata Blanka Vas, while the UK’s Zoe Backstedt finished one place further back in sixth.

The UCI Cyclocross World Cup continues on December 30 in Hulst, Netherlands, where both van Aert and Pidcock are scheduled to compete.

Header image: Wout van Aert (BEL/Jumbo-Visma) wins the first race he participates in of the 2023/2024 cyclocross season in the extreme muddy conditions of the Exact Cross Essen 2023 in Belgium on 9 December 2023. Credit: Kristof Ramon / Red Bull Content Pool