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In the final UCI race of the season, it was only fitting the 2017 Cyclocross World Champs reigned supreme in Oostmalle at the 2017 Cyclocross Internationale Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle.

The Price is Right for Cant in Oostmalle

Sanne Cant has been arguably the most consistent performer of the 2016-2017 cyclocross season with 16 wins and 6 second place finishes. She closed out her memorable season with win number 17 on Sunday at Cyclocross Internationale Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle. Cant broke away from a chase of Annemarie Worst (Mijn Bad Liv/Giant Off-Road Team), Laura Verdonschot (Marlux-Napoleon Games), and Maud Kaptheijns (Steylaerts-Verona), and put an exclamation point on her World Championship season.

Verdonschot’s second place finish is a little bit of redemption after her disappointing fourth place finish in the Women’s U23 race at Worlds. The winner of that race Worst went out strong early on, but Verdonschot was able to overtake her and hold off Kaptheijns to take second.

Cant made the start at Oostmalle after skipping Saturday’s Soudal Classic Leuven over a disagreement about start money. Cant was expecting her contract to be renegotiated after her World Championship victory, and after she could not reach an agreement with the race organizers, she opted to skip the event.

Katie Compton (KFC Racing) was the lone American to stick around Europe for the last race of the season. She finished seventh after winning Saturday at Leuven.

Van Aert Stops Van der Poel’s Post-Worlds Streak

Cyclocross fans have grown accustomed to seeing Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) blast off at the front at the start of the race to try to bury his opponents early on. On Sunday at Oostmalle, Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) did his best impression of his Dutch arch rival by going full-throttle after grabbing an early first-lap lead from Jim Aernouts (Telenet Fidea Lions). Van der Poel gave chase early on, but after the third lap it was clear Van Aert would be taking home his first victory since winning the rainbow jersey in Bieles, Luxembourg. Van Aert won the race by over a minute as a large group sorted itself out behind him.

Van Aert’s victory halted a six-race post-Worlds tear by Van der Poel. Van der Poel was visibly upset after his flat-marred silver at the World Championships and used the ensuing month to exact revenge on Van Aert and the rest of the cyclocross peloton.

The victory by Van Aert brings the final tally in the 2016-2017 WVA-MvdP Trofee series to 18 for Van der Poel and 6 for Van Aert. Unfortunately for Van der Poel, Van Aert got the one that counts the most in Bieles and will be sporting the coveted rainbow stripes in the 2017-2018 cyclocross season.

Once Van der Poel dropped back into the group during the fourth lap, a spirited battle for “Best of the Rest” broke out, albeit one that included van der Poel. The large chase contingent varied from 7 to 10 riders, and when the pack came across for the bell lap of the bell lap race, 9 riders were in contention for the second spot on the podium.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQs-fQ3DMUP/?tagged=oostmalle

Midway through the final lap, a group of four – Van der Poel, David van der Poel (Beobank Corendon), Tom Meeusen (Telenet Fidea Lions), and Gianni Vermeersch (Steylaerts-Verona) – emerged from the scrum. The four hit the finishing straight together and Van der Poel rode an early jump on the long sprint to grab second over Meeusen, who finished third. David van der Poel finished just behind the Lion in fourth.

Sunday was the last race for Swiss National Champion Julien Taramarcaz (ERA-Circus), who recently announced he will be retiring from professional cyclocross at age 29 to focus on his family and moving onto the next chapter in his life.

Sunday’s race at Oostmalle closes the books on the 2016-2017 UCI cyclocross season, with only the non-UCI Cyclocross Masters on February 22 left. Thank you to everyone who followed Cyclocross Magazine’s coverage of the run-ups, the descents and every barrier in between. While we shift more towards tech, gravel and interviews, our UCI cyclocross coverage will resume in September, although you just might find some southern hemisphere reports in the coming months. Thanks for making it a great, fun and rewarding season for us.

2017 Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle Results - Elite Women

PlBibNameTeamTime
11CANT SanneENERTHERM - BEOBANK0:43:54
22VERDONSCHOT LauraMARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM0:44:37
34KAPTHEIJNS MaudSTEYLAERTS - VERONA0:44:50
45SELS LoesKDL CYCLING TEAM0:45:16
59WORST AnnemarieGIANT LIV MIJN BAD DEALERTEAM0:45:16
63VAN LOY EllenYOUNG TELENET FIDEA CYCLING TEAM0:45:52
751COMPTON KatherineTREK FACTORY RACING0:45:57
837VAN DER HEIJDEN IngeZZPR R.NL HANCLEAN ORNAGE BABIES CYCL0:46:03
944VERHESTRAETEN KarenDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM0:46:05
106FRANCK AliciaMARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM0:46:08
1121BAKKER ManonWV GIANT DT BENELUX0:46:10
1239MAES ShanaDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM0:46:52
137VANDERBEKEN JoyceDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM0:46:52
1443BETSEMA DeniseHRTC0:47:20
1550VERHOEVEN SuzanneWV DE JONGE RENNER0:47:33
1638GOOSSENS VeerleAMARROW ADEX CYCLING TEAM0:47:55
1731DELHAYE PaulineQUICK MTB RACING TEAM0:48:01
1840PAUL StefanieSTEVENS RACING TEAM/RSG HANNNOVER0:48:11
1934NAGENGAST FleurYOUNG TELENET FIDEA CYCLING TEAM0:48:17
2048VAN DEN HOEK BiancaTEAM RIJWIELEN BILTHOVEN0:48:25
2129DE HEIJ MaaikeAR&TV DE ADELAAR0:48:50
2235TRUYEN MartheAA-DRINK JONGERENTEAM0:49:35
2318PALM Eva MariaDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM0:49:55
2424HOEKE GeerteWV BREDA0:50:22
2512NOBUS AnjaTRUST MTB TEAM VZW0:50:40
2613TER BEEK LindaHET TWENTSE ROS/ZWIEP FIETSEN0:50:50
2717GERRITSEN IreneAR&TV DE ADELAAR0:50:55
288KRANS LauraAA DRINK0:51:03
2923NELEN KristienINDIVIDUEEL0:51:06
3036MULDER MaschaAMARROW ADEX CYCLING TEAM0:51:12
3126DE BRUYNE MegKLEUR OP MAAT - BNS TECHNICS-1 lap
3232PEETERS JinseACROG - BALEN BC
3330MICHELS LaureCYCLING.BE - ALPHAMOTORHOMES CT
3449WILLEMS GertieKLEUR OP MAAT - BNS TECHNICS
3553VERBERNE LanaTWC DE KEMPEN
3652KUIJPER ElodieWV BREDA
3727VERMEIREN TinneKLEUR OP MAAT - BNS TECHNICS
3845VAN DE PUTTE KimBIKE ADVICE CT
3915BOONS YentheKLEUR OP MAAT - BNS TECHNICS
4014VERMEIR AurelieBIKE ADVICE CT-2 laps
4125COMMISSARIS CarenWSC HOOP OP ZEGEN - BEVEREN VZW
4219ROMBOUTS TineACROG - BALEN BC
4316HEY SabineSABINE HEY
4447VERMEERSCH EvaZANNATA-GALLOO CYCLINGTEAM MENEN VZ
4533SCHOON LisetteTWC HET SNELLE WIEL
4642HINZ Katharine JulieRSG HANNOVER-3 laps
4728VERDEYEN TineCYCLING TEAM ZEMST VZW
4846VAN ROMPAY AnkeKLEUR OP MAAT - BNS TECHNICS
DNFDE BOER Sophie
DNFVAN ANROOIJ Lindy
DNFDEL CARMEN ALVARADO Ceylin

2017 Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle Results - Elite Men

PlBibNameTeamTime
11VAN AERT WoutVERANDA'S WILLEMS - CRELAN1:02:00
22VAN DER POEL MathieuBEOBANK - CORENDON1:02:51
35MEEUSEN TomTELENET FIDEA LIONS1:02:51
47VAN DER POEL DavidBEOBANK - CORENDON1:02:51
520VERMEERSCH GianniSTEYLAERTS - VERONA1:02:54
63PAUWELS KevinMARLUX NAPOLEON GAMES1:03:02
719SOETE DaanTELENET FIDEA LIONS1:03:05
839AERNOUTS JimTELENET FIDEA LIONS1:03:06
925SWEECK DietherERA - CIRCUS1:03:16
104VAN DER HAAR LarsTELENET FIDEA LIONS1:03:18
1124SWEECK LaurensERA - CIRCUS1:03:23
1243BOROŠ MichaelPAUWELS SAUZEN - VASTGOEDSERVICE CO1:03:33
139ADAMS JensPAUWELS SAUZEN - VASTGOEDSERVICE CO1:03:42
148WALSLEBEN PhilippBEOBANK - CORENDON1:04:16
1541VANTHOURENHOUT DieterMARLUX NAPOLEON GAMES1:04:38
166PEETERS RobPAUWELS SAUZEN - VASTGOEDSERVICE CO1:04:56
1737VAN COMPERNOLLE KennethTARTELETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEA1:05:01
1840MERLIER BraamSTEYLAERTS-VERONA1:05:13
1917VAN LEEUWEN PatrickZZPR HANCLEAN1:05:32
2018UYTDEWILLIGEN IngmarTARTELETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEA1:05:34
2121TARAMARCAZ JulienERA - CIRCUS1:05:37
2222VANTORNOUT KlaasMARLUX NAPOLEON GAMES1:05:37
2323VAN DEN BRAND TwanDESTIL - JO PIELS CYCLING TEAM1:05:37
2435VERHEYEN OnnoRS-BIKES RACING TEAM PULDERBOS1:05:56
2516HOEYBERGHS DaanBEOBANK - CORENDON1:06:07
2631HUYS StijnBRUYNOOGHE CYCLING TEAM1:06:18
2713GODRIE StanVERANDA'S WILLEMS - CRELAN1:06:35
2815BOSMANS WietseBEOBANK - CORENDON1:07:07
2910VANTHOURENHOUT MichaelMARLUX NAPOLEON GAMES1:07:07
3044DE CLERCQ AngeloMARLUX NAPOLEON GAMES1:07:36
3136VANDEKINDEREN JensKALAS - H.ESSERS CYCLING TEAM1:07:44
3229DE CLEYN DaveRS-BIKES RACING TEAM PULDERBOS-1 lap
3334CANT KevinBEOBANK - CORENDON
3432PAUWELS DriesHUBO-AERTS ACTION BIKE CT
3538RUIZ DE LARRINAGA IBAA‘EZ JaviMMR SPIUK CX TEAM
3633THILTGES ScottLG ALZINGEN
3745VERBERNE DouweWV SCHIJNDEL
3826FORRESTER AlexanderWWW.ZEPNAT.COM RT - LAZER HELMETS