Cyclocross World Championship 2023: Van der Poel defeats van Aert in duel of the giants
DPA
· 05.02.2023
Click through: The van Aert vs. van der Poel duel
On Sunday, the 28-year-old Alpecin-Deceuninck pro won the test of strength in his home country just ahead of the slightly favoured Belgian. Van der Poel thus secured the fifth rainbow jersey of his career. "This victory is certainly one of the top three of my greatest successes in my career," said van der Poel after the race.
Cyclocross World Championship 2023: Van der Poel & van Aert set themselves apart early on
Both pros pulled away from the start and the expected duel quickly developed at the 2023 Cyclocross World Championships, which the Dutchman won in a spectacular duel. Belgian rider Eli Iserbyt took the bronze medal, while the best German rider was Marcel Meisen, who finished the race in 32nd place.
The two rivals, van der Poel and van Aert, have been duelling since they were teenagers and are regarded as two of the greatest all-rounders in cycling history. In 13 races at the competition, van Aert took nine victories and was always at least second. Van der Poel rode one race more and finished on the podium twelve times before his most recent triumph. The Dutchman secured the title in 2015 and from 2019 to 2021, while last year's winner was Brit Tom Pidcock, who decided not to compete this time.
Van Empel wins women's cyclocross world championship title
Fem van Empel won the women's cyclocross world championship race on Saturday. The 20-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider went into the race in her home country as one of the favourites and lived up to this role.
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