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The Elite Men’s race at Krawatencross in Lille, Belgium, gave spectators a series of thrills, as conditions continued to deteriorate (or improve, depending on who you ask). The sand had been packed down from the rippin’ Women’s race, but mud slicks were more treacherous and unavoidable, and the mixed course conditions proved to be quite the challenge for all racers, giving Wout van Aert (Crelan-Charles) particularly noticeable trouble, and setting the stage for a duel with the technical master, Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon), in yet another rematch of the dominant duo.

2017 Krawatencross Lille - Course Map - DVV Verzekeringen Trofee

Wout van Aert was quick to accelerate off of the line, hot to trot after the 2017 Cyclocross World Championships, and took the holeshot. Van der Poel was right behind him, avoiding the large crash that occurred in the lakeside corner—the same corner that dashed Sophie de Boer’s winning chances in the Elite Women’s race earlier in the day. This crash caused the field to string out widely, and for the rest of the race, it seemed like there was always a rider in sight at any given point on course.

Many of the muddy corners had been formed into deep and tacky berms, which, combined with the cleared sandbox lines and long power straightaways, created an incredibly fast race. The exceptions to this were the right-hand incline turns into the woods, and some of the windy sections near the lake. Van der Poel, Van Aert, Laurens Sweeck (ERA Circus), Tom Meeusen (Telenet Fidea Lions), and Corne Van Kessel (Telenet Fidea Lions) all ripped through the woody chicane section as the lead five, but Sweeck caught a bar on the fencing in the second to last corner, and was thrown off the back.

MVDP was at home and in control in the sand of 2017 Krawatencross in Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

MVDP was at home and in control in the sand of 2017 Krawatencross in Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

At the end of the first lap, it was Van der Poel and Meeusen pushing the pace, with Van Aert five seconds back, Van Kessel 14 seconds back, and a chase group of Sweeck, Vincent Bastaens (Beobank-Corendon), Kevin Pauwels (Marlux-Napoleon Games), and a few others not far behind. Van der Poel was riding like a mad man, dropping his shoulders hard into the tacky corners, and throwing his bike around to solidify his lead. He lost this lead to van Aert and Meeusen after a mishap on the ramp in the woods, but quickly caught onto their wheels.

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in a duel with plenty of contact. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Trofee.

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in a duel with plenty of contact. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Trofee.

Coming out of lap two, Van Aert was in the lead, but Van der Poel swung around him to reclaim his prime position. By this time, Van Kessel and Lars van der Haar (Team Giant-Alpecin) had worked their way back up, with Pauwels and Bastaens five seconds back, and a larger train of racers not far behind them.

After several shuffles for position, the lead group of Meeusen, Van der Poel, Van Aert, Van Kessel, Pauwels, and Van der Haar committed to hammering, heads down, with one to three bike lengths between each of them. They sped through the ever-growing “puddle,” which was actually the lake encroaching onto the long straight away, as the drizzle turned to a steady rain and conditions rapidly changed.

Mathieu van der Poel has been on a tear since Worlds, and was supreme in the sand and woods of the 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Mathieu van der Poel has been on a tear since Worlds, and was supreme in the sand and woods of the 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Van Aert, leading the front group, slipped on the same turn that foiled Van der Haar’s attack, which gave Van der Poel a chance to slip by him and into the lead. Van Aert found a spot to pass, but it was clear that Van der Poel was taking cleaner and faster lines, smashing any chance of a gap.

Pauwels opted for a bike change before the wooded chicane, but did not lose sight of the leaders. At the end of lap four, van der Poel was leading Van Aert and Meeusen, who at this point was easy to spot, his face completely coated in mud. Van der Haar was three seconds back, Pauwels ten seconds back, and Van Kessel was closing in at just eleven seconds back.

After the run-up and sandy turns, Van der Haar launched a menacing attack, screaming down the lakeside straightaway, making Van Aert, van der Poel, and Meeusen look like they were on a pleasure cruise. He faltered a bit, slipping on the muddy turn into the woods, giving the group a chance to hang onto him. Van der Haar continued to dig in, looking over his shoulder repeatedly. Regardless, his constant driving force at the front kept things spicy for van der Poel, Van Aert, Meeusen, and Pauwels, who went into the final lap as a group, trailed by Van Kessel (32 seconds behind), Vanthourenhout (46 seconds behind), and David van der Poel (just over a minute behind).

Van Aert gave Van der Poel a scare not once, but twice. He first slipped on the infamous entrance to the woods, giving van der Poel the opportunity to pass. Then, as Van Aert launched an attack to reclaim his lead, he found a particularly slippery section in the grass, and fishtailed wildly, swinging back straight into van der Poel, who stuck a leg out to keep his balance while miraculously avoiding the fencing.

Wout van Aert got sideways, saved it, and then bounced off Mathieu van der Poel. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Trofee.

Wout van Aert got sideways, saved it, and then bounced off Mathieu van der Poel. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Trofee.

Van Aert managed to take the lead, but Van der Poel, in a clever, aggressive move, dismounted early, cut to the inside of Van Aert, and ran the hairpin. Van Aert was forced off his bike, and Van der Poel had the gap he needed to exact revenge from his defeat in Bieles.

Van der Poel was masterful in dismounting for this turn, forcing Van Aert wide and getting his final gap. Rubbin' is racing they say. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Van Trofee.

Van der Poel was masterful in dismounting for this turn, forcing Van Aert wide and getting his final gap. Rubbin’ is racing they say. Elite Men. 2017 Krawtencross, Lille. DVV Verzekeringen Van Trofee.

Van Aert, Meeusen, Pauwels, and Van der Haar came onto the finishing straight as a tight group, sprinting but not separating, with Van Aert taking second, Meeusen in third, Pauwels in fourth, and Van der Haar in fifth.

Mathieu van der Poel stays undefeated post-Worlds.2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Mathieu van der Poel stays undefeated post-Worlds.2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Wout van Aert wins the sprint or second of Tom Meeusen. 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Wout van Aert wins the sprint or second of Tom Meeusen. 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Americans Stephen Hyde (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld) and Kerry Werner (Kona) took to the start in their continued post-Worlds campaign, with Hyde finishing in 33rd and Werner in 38th.

Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Meeusen. 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Meeusen. 2017 Krawatencross, Lille. © M. Hilger / Cyclocross Magazine

Missed the live video via Trek? Watch the highlights of the men’s race below.

Full results and final overall DVV Verzekeringen Trofee standings below the video.

2017 Krawatencross – Lille – DVV Verzekeringen Trofee – Elite Men’s Race Video Highlights:

2017 Krawatencross, Lille - Elite Men's Results -DVV Verzekeringen Trofee

PlNameNatAgeTime
1Mathieu VAN DER POELNED221:02:40
2Wout VAN AERTBEL231:02:44
3Tom MEEUSENBEL291:02:44
4Kevin PAUWELSBEL331:02:44
5Lars VAN DER HAARNED261:02:44
6Corne VAN KESSELNED261:03:22
7Michael VANTHOURENHOUTBEL241:03:41
8Gianni VERMEERSCHBEL251:03:43
9Vincent BAESTAENSBEL281:03:50
10David VAN DER POELNED251:03:50
11Tim MERLIERBEL251:03:53
12Jim AERNOUTSBEL281:04:04
13Laurens SWEECKBEL241:04:15
14Jens ADAMSBEL251:04:39
15Julien TARAMARCAZSUI301:04:47
16Klaas VANTORNOUTBEL351:04:53
17Daan SOETEBEL231:05:03
18Marcel MEISENGER281:05:16
19Philipp WALSLEBENGER301:05:25
20Rob PEETERSBEL321:05:44
21Joeri ADAMSBEL281:05:55
22Patrick VAN LEEUWENNED321:06:17
23Michael BOROŠCZE251:06:21
24Braam MERLIERBEL231:06:30
25Jens VANDEKINDERENBEL241:06:32
26Dieter VANTHOURENHOUTBEL321:06:36
27Stijn HUYSBEL311:06:49
28Yorben VAN TICHELTBEL231:06:55
29Ingmar UYTDEWILLIGENBEL261:06:58
30Javier RUIZ DE LARRINAGA IBANEZESP381:06:59
31Dario TIELENBEL231:07:13
32Onno VERHEYENBEL231:07:22
33Stephen HYDEUSA301:07:45
34Michael VAN DEN HAMCAN251:08:19
35Jeremy MARTINCAN251:08:22
36Kevin CANTBEL291:09:15
37Antonin MARECAILLEFRA251:09:21
38Kerry WERNERUSA261:09:58
39Aitor HERNANDEZ GUTIERREZESP351:10:12
40Wouter GOOSENBEL31
41Jens GYSBEL28
42Benjamin KRAWCZYKFRA24

2016 / 2017 DVV Verzekeringen Trofee Overall Standings

PlNameTeamTime
1Wout Van AertCrelan-Charles8:15:47
2Kevin PauwelsMarlux-Napoleon Games03:22
3Michael VanthourenhoutMarlux-Napoleon Games04:55
4Corne Van KesselTelenet Fidea Lions08:36
5Toon AertsTelenet Fidea Lions09:14
6Laurens SweeckERA-Circus10:42
7Tom MeeusenTelenet Fidea Lions11:37
8Jens AdamsCrelan-Charles13:29
9Tim MerlierCrelan-Charles15:56
10Gianni VermeerschTeam Steylaerts16:04
11Mathieu Van der PoelBeobank-Corendon18:05
12Dieter VanthourenhoutMarlux-Napoleon Games21:53
13Lars Van Der HaarTeam Giant-Alpecin22:34
14Jim AernoutsTelenet Fidea Lions23:36
15Wietse BosmansBeobank-Corendon25:50
16Klaas VantornoutMarlux-Napoleon Games27:16
17Vincent BaestaensBeobank-Corendon27:47
18Philipp WalslebenBeobank-Corendon28:55
19Michael BorosERA-Circus29:48
20David Van der PoelBeobank-Corendon32:43
21Rob PeetersCrelan-Charles33:48
22Jens VandekinderenKalas-NNOF34:26
23Julien TaramarcazERA-Circus34:32
24Joeri AdamsKalas-NNOF35:30
25Clément VenturiniCofidis35:36
26Daan SoeteTelenet Fidea Lions36:18
27Thijs Van AmerongenTelenet Fidea Lions36:37
28Patrick Van LeeuwenOrange Babies Cycling Team37:48
29Sascha WeberCCT-Champion System37:58
30Stan GodrieRabobank Development Team38:07
31Zdenek Stybar
32Stephen HydeCannondale-cyclocrossworld.com
33Marcel MeisenTeam Kuota Lotto
34Yorben Van TicheltMarlux-Napoleon Games
35Ingmar Uytdewilligen
36Twan Van Den BrandOrange Babies Cycling Team
37Braam Merlier
38Javier Ruiz De Larrinaga IbanezMMR CX Team
39Stijn Huys
40Kevin CantERA-Circus
41Diether SweeckERA-Circus
42Ian FieldHargroves Cycles Race Team
43Enrico Franzoi
44Quincy Vens
45Dario Tielen
46Onno Verheyen
47Marek Konwa
48Michael Van Den Ham
49Jeremy Martin
50Antonin Marecaille
51Kerry Werner
52Aitor Hernandez
53Wouter Goosen
54Jens Gys
55Mariusz Gil
56Angelo De ClercqMarlux-Napoleon Games
57Jan Denuwelaere
58Dave De Cleyn
59Benjamin Krawczyk
60Ivan Gicquiau
61Hikaru Kosaka
62Mark Mcconnell
63Kohei Maeda
64Marvin Schmidt
65Boy Van Poppel
66Martin Eriksson
67Michael Butler
68Daniel Ania Gonzalez
69Alexander GeuensCrelan-Charles
70Jack Clarkson
71Eric Thompson
72Hendrik SweeckERA-Circus
73Kevin Suarez Fernandez
74Jeremy PowersRapha-Focus
75Matthias Van De Velde
76Sebastien Carabin
77Mariusz Gil
78Vinnie Braet
79Yu Takenouchi
80Nicolas Le Besq
81Alex Forrester
82Jorge Rodriguez Garcia
83Fernando Jimenez Rodriguez
84Felix Fuentes Sanchez
85Manuel Martin Jimenez
86Kenneth Van Compernolle
87Mathieu Willemyns
88Caleb Thompson