X2O Trofee Loenhout-Azencross: Van der Poel Wins, Van Aert Struggles

## Mathieu van der Poel Wins Sixth Cyclo-cross Race‍ of the Season

Loenhout, Belgium ‌- Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) extended his cyclo-cross dominance with‍ a sixth ‌victory of the season at the X2O Trofee Loenhout-Azencross on Monday.

“It’s a race that is close to home … there are a lot⁢ of​ people here, and it’s nice⁣ to win again,” Van der Poel said after the ⁢race.

The reigning World Champion, a six-time winner of the event, created a decisive gap over Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the fourth of eight laps and rode to a solo victory.

Van Aert’s race was hampered by misfortune, ‌suffering a ⁤rear flat tire on the fourth ‌lap that required a bike change. He rejoined the race in pursuit of Van der Poel,but a ​second flat tire on the sixth lap dashed his hopes of⁤ a podium finish.

Van der Poel’s teammate, Niels Vandeputte, broke away from the chase group in the final two laps to secure second place, while Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley) sprinted​ to third, leading the chase group across the line.

A large crowd gathered to witness the anticipated battle between Van der poel ‌and Van Aert, both of whom faced challenges during‍ the⁤ elite men’s race.

Van der Poel experienced a slow start, unclipping from the ⁤start line and‌ needing a⁣ lap to rejoin the ‍front. He⁣ also had a brief wobble after a spectator reached onto the course, but managed to maintain his ​position.

“I was very lucky, be