‘It’s a shame it was decided by a crash’ – will Wout van Aert recover to meet Mathieu van der Poel again after crash-marred Exact Cross?

The chances of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert completing their five-date cyclo-cross showdown this season took a blow on Friday after Van Aert crashed out of the Exact Cross at Mol, while hard on the heels of the Dutchman.

Alpecin-Premier Tech rider Van der Poel turned up to the event in his Lamborghini and went on to put down comparable power to that of his supercar, leading throughout in what was a freezing blizzard.