Belgian Toon Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions) has been quietly having a great season, but it’s been overshadowed by the duels between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.
Aerts, your new 2016 European Cyclocross Champion. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
Today, he took pleasure in upsetting the duo and any fans expecting a duel by riding away from the two favorites in Pont-Chateau to win the 2016 European Cyclocross Championships.
Mathieu van der Poel hit the front early, pushing the pace and drawing out Wout van Aert, and early on it was a select group of the two top riders plus Michael Vanthourenhout and France’s Clement Venturini.
Mathieu van der Poel hopped the barriers to the delight of fans. Elite Men, 2016 European Cyclocross Championships UEC. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
The Championships in France was warm, dry and dusty—conditions not all that different than the 2016 Pan American Cyclocross Championships in Cincinatti.
See more photos and video from the 2016 UEC European Cyclocross Championships here.
2016 European Cyclocross Championships - Elite Men
| Pl | Bib | Name | Nat. | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | AERTS Toon | BEL | 1h04'16'' |
| 2 | 5 | VAN DER POEL Mathieu | NED | @45'' |
| 3 | 16 | VAN AERT Wout | BEL | '' |
| 4 | 28 | VENTURINI Clément | FRA | '' |
| 5 | 9 | ADAMS Jens | BEL | '' |
| 6 | 13 | PAUWELS Kevin | BEL | '' |
| 7 | 1 | VAN DER HAAR Lars | NED | @49'' |
| 8 | 38 | WILDHABER Marcel | SUI | @55'' |
| 9 | 25 | CHAINEL Steve | FRA | @01'05'' |
| 10 | 7 | VAN KESSEL Corne | NED | @01'09'' |
| 11 | 6 | VAN DER POEL David | NED | '' |
| 12 | 4 | VAN DEN BRAND Twan | NED | '' |
| 13 | 24 | BOULO Matthieu | FRA | '' |
| 14 | 15 | SWEECK Laurens | BEL | @01'13'' |
| 15 | 33 | HARING Martin | SVK | @01'15'' |
| 16 | 27 | MOUREY Francis | FRA | @01'22'' |
| 17 | 35 | SAEGESSER Severin | SUI | @01'45'' |
| 18 | 21 | BOROS Michael | CZE | @01'55'' |
| 19 | 39 | ZAHNER Simon | SUI | @02'14'' |
| 20 | 26 | FALENTA Alois | FRA | @02'38'' |
| 21 | 31 | BAUSCH Gusty | LUX | @2 Tr |
| 22 | 34 | ARREGUI DOMINGUEZ Asier | ESP | @3 Tr |
| 23 | 32 | HARALDSETH Fredrik | NOR | @5 Tr |
| DNF | 2 | GODRIE Stan | NED | |
| DNF | 3 | VAN AMERONGEN Thijs | NED | |
| DNF | 12 | BOSMANS Wietse | BEL | |
| DNF | 17 | VANTHOURENHOUT Michael | BEL | |
| DNF | 29 | WALSLEBEN Philipp | GER | |
| DNF | 40 | MERLIER Tim | BEL |
