Mathieu van der Poel in command. 2016 Superprestige Gavere Elite Men. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
Matheiu Van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) wasted no time distancing his rivals at Superprestige Gavere in attempt to win his fourth Superprestige race in a row. The young Dutchman was part of a small group at the front of the race going into lap two on the slippery Gavere track, and unleashed a blistering attack on a slick uphill. None of his chase companions were able to match Van der Poel’s pace, although he did draw out reigning World Champion and his primary rival, Wout Van Aert (Crelan Vastgoedservice), with Tom Meeusen (Telenet Fidea Lions) holding on.
As Van Aert chased and was about to make contact, drivetrain issues struck on his eTap-equipped Colnago. After putting his chain back on, and taking a pit bike, Van Aert was firmly in a group with Tom Meeusen, and European Continental Champion Toon Aerts.
Wout van Aert drops his chain once again on his SRAM eTAP Red drivetrain, ending his chances for the win at the Superprestige Gavere race.
Meeusen and Van Aert would distance Aerts, and Van Aert would set the pace to chase down Van der Poel. Van Aert’s pace was a bit too hot for Meeusen, who was drop his chase companion, and forge on to van der Poel solo.
Perhaps feeling the effects of trying to stay on Van Aert’s wheel, Meeusen took a spill on a descent, and after remounting his bike, drifted backwards and was overtaken by a group of Aerts and Kevin Pauwels.
Tom Meeusen tumbles on the descent.
With a mechanical hindering his main competition, van der Poel had to stay smooth and avoid any mechanical or crashes for victory, and that he did. While valiant, Van Aert’s chase effort did not take back any significant time on van der Poel, leaving Van Aert to roll across the line in second place. Toon Aerts rolled through in the final podium spot.
Mathieu van der Poel wins his fourth 2016 Superprestige race in a row. 2016 Gavere Elite Men. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
Mathieu van der Poel wins over Wout van Aert and Toon Aerts. 2016 Superprestige Gavere Elite Men. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
See our full photo gallery from the 2016 Superprestige Gavere cyclocross men’s race here. Watch Mathieu van der Poel put on an impresive show in the men’s race video here.
2016 Hansgrohe Superprestige Gavere Elite Men's Results
| Place | Name | Nat. | Age* | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu VAN DER POEL | NED | 22 | 1:03:35 | 80 |
| 2 | Wout VAN AERT | BEL | 23 | 1:04:37 | 60 |
| 3 | Toon AERTS | BEL | 24 | 1:04:55 | 40 |
| 4 | Klaas VANTORNOUT | BEL | 35 | 1:05:06 | 30 |
| 5 | Laurens SWEECK | BEL | 24 | 1:05:19 | 25 |
| 6 | Kevin PAUWELS | BEL | 33 | 1:05:35 | 20 |
| 7 | Tom MEEUSEN | BEL | 29 | 1:06:07 | 17 |
| 8 | David VAN DER POEL | NED | 25 | 1:06:34 | 15 |
| 9 | Jens ADAMS | BEL | 25 | 1:06:35 | 12 |
| 10 | Philipp WALSLEBEN | GER | 30 | 1:06:40 | 10 |
| 11 | Tim MERLIER | BEL | 25 | 1:06:45 | 8 |
| 12 | Michael BOROS | CZE | 25 | 1:06:51 | 6 |
| 13 | Diether SWEECK | BEL | 24 | 1:08:02 | 4 |
| 14 | Joeri ADAMS | BEL | 28 | 1:08:06 | 2 |
| 15 | Thijs AMERONGEN | NED | 31 | 1:08:26 | 1 |
| 16 | Rob PEETERS | BEL | 32 | 1:09:13 | |
| 17 | Gianni VERMEERSCH | BEL | 25 | 1:09:13 | |
| 18 | Jens VANDEKINDEREN | BEL | 24 | 1:09:30 | |
| 19 | Stan GODRIE | NED | 24 | 1:10:14 | |
| 20 | Julien TARAMARCAZ | SUI | 30 | 1:10:21 | |
| 21 | Daan HOEYBERGHS | BEL | 23 | ||
| 22 | Enrico FRANZOI | ITA | 35 | ||
| 23 | Kenneth VAN COMPERNOLLE | BEL | 29 | ||
| 24 | Dario TIELEN | BEL | 23 | ||
| 25 | Fabian OBRIST | SUI | 26 | ||
| 26 | Eric THOMPSON | USA | 28 | ||
| 27 | Yu TAKENOUCHI | JPN | 29 | ||
| 28 | Luca FORMOSO | SUI | 29 |
