Niels Bastiaens • Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 8:15 AM
On Friday we can prepare for the first battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, on the flanks of the Zilvermeer van Mol. Who is already at the best level? And how long does it take for one to lose the other? CyclingFlits looks ahead to the battle for men and women.
History
Latest winners Mol
Men
2022: Wout van Aert
2021: Wout van Aert
2020: Not held
2019: Mathieu van der Poel
2018: Corné van Kessel
2017: David van der Poel
2016: Mathieu van der Poel
2015: Wout van Aert
2014: Wout van Aert
2013: Klaas Vantornout (BK)
Women
2022: Shirin van Anrooij
2021: Lucinda Brand
2020: Not held
2019: Laura Verdonschot
2018: True Cant
2017: Lucinda Brand
2016: True Cant
2015: Sabrina Stultiens
2014: Jolien Verschueren
2013: Sanne Cant (BK)
Last year
Exact Cross 2022-2023
Result Mole, men
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
3. Tom Pidcock (INEOS-Grenadiers)
4. Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Fristads)
5. Quinten Hermans (Tormans)
Exact Cross 2022-2023
Result Mole, women
1. Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions)
2. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions)
3. Annemarie Worst (777)
4. Zoë Backstedt
5. Aniek van Alphen (777)
Course
Sand. We don’t really need more to describe the cyclo-cross in Mol, but we will do it anyway. There are several beautiful sand passages waiting for you at the Zilvermeer provincial recreational area, which includes a swimming pond with an accompanying sandy beach.
This is also where the only changes compared to last year can be found. “The first passage along the pond is completely identical to last year, but for the second – where there is often a large part of walking – the riders are now sent more parallel to the first passage. That extra loop is gone. That is also how the course with the Belgian championship in 2013 was drawn,” says Koen Monu of the organization. “And for public-technical reasons. The party tent would otherwise be too difficult to reach.”
The riders will find a third sand passage at the dune at the back of the course. It is often difficult to estimate whether one will reach the top or not. This can often cause small fissures.
Furthermore, the course is also characterized by faster sections through the forest. On top of that, there is a more technical passage, with several loops up and down, which really gives us the necessary variety.
Program and information
Program Friday December 22, 2023
1:45 p.m.: Elite women
3 p.m.: Elite men
Location
Zilvermeer, 2400 Mol
Public information
Presale tickets are available at €15 each (until Thursday 22 December) via organization’s website. There are also tickets available at the box office at the cross itself. Children up to 12 years old can enter for free.
Practical info
Website organization
Website Exact Cross
Participant lists not yet available
Favorites men
The first duel between world top players Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel is one we are eagerly looking forward to! The day before the World Cup Cross in Antwerp, where Tom Pidcock is also at the start, the two will get a feel for the sand along the flanks of the Zilvermeer. The two were also present in Mol last year. Then the victory went to good runner Van Aert, but he has already indicated that he will focus less on the cross this year than then.
How impressive Van der Poel was on the Ski Mountain – photo: Cor Vos
Mathieu van der Poel is our clear top favorite. On his season debut in Herentals, he barely needed two minutes to shake off the opposition. One Ski Mountain was enough. Van der Poel has clearly returned from his training camp in excellent condition, but that does not mean that he is already at his best. “I have a good foundation, but I think the intensity can be improved. Only by the World Cup do I have to ensure that I am at 200 percent, as I did last year,” said our microphone after Herentals.
Wout van Aert only has the cross in Essen to his credit. In his own words, to gain some cross feeling before he left for an internship with Jumbo-Visma. “The cross bike won’t come with us on the internship,” was said afterwards. The question is whether we should expect a super Van Aert. What is certain is that he was quite impressive on the Essen track, as soon as he pushed the throttle. Curious what that means against Van der Poel in the sand.
Don’t look for riders from Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal or Baloise Trek Lions among the men in Mol. They all focus exclusively on the next day’s cross in Antwerp. Van der Poel did manage to convince a number of teammates to make the crossing. Quinten Hermans – who still hopes for a World Cup selection, Val di Sole revelation Niels Vandeputte, Gianni Vermeersch and Timo Kielich all also claim that third podium place in Mol.
Will Quinten Hermans take a new step towards the World Cup? – photo: Cor Vos
Further comes too Toon Vandebosch at the start, just like Vincent Baestaens, the Czech Michael Boros, Arne Baers, Anton Ferdinande and Daan Soete. A great opportunity for those boys to get into the top 10.
Favorites according to WielerFlits
*** Mathieu van der Poel
** Wout van Aert, Niels Vandeputte
* Quinten Hermans, Gianni Vermeersch, Toon Vandebosch
Favorites women
We expect less tension among women, where the number of cancellations is not small. When we compare the start list of the World Cup on the beach in Antwerp with that of the Zilvermeercross, the absence of world champion Fem van Empel, Dutch champion Puck Pieterse, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Annemarie Worst, Marion Norbert-Riberolle and Sara Casasola is immediately noticeable. .
Woman in shape Lucinda Brand does sign present. She deserves all the credits for her performance in Herentals. She was the first this season who could make things difficult for Fem van Empel to the bitter end. It even came to a sprint between the two, in which Brand unfortunately came out on top. But it was a performance she can build on, after a good training camp with Lidl-Trek.
Lucinda Brand is the rightful top favorite – photo: Cor Vos
Teammate at Baloise Trek Lions, Shirin van Anrooij, is still looking for her best cross legs, but she will probably do better in a less strong field of participants. “Just like last year, her start is poorer, but now the difference is that we can invest less time in making it better again,” sports director Eric Braes explains her preliminary shortcomings. “She took a few weeks off and went to Spain with the road team. I think that the more cross-country skiing she does again, the better it will be.”
It is also something to look forward to Zoe Backstedt, who returned to cross-country in Namur after almost a month of absence. How good it was before with podium places in Dendermonde and Dublin, it was so difficult at the Citadel with finishing place number 26. Coincidence? The sand specialist is also different Laura Verdonschot, Aniek van Alphen, Manon BakkerDenise Betsema and Anna Kay eager for a good ranking.
Favorites according to WielerFlits
*** Lucinda Brand
** Shirin van Anrooij, Zoe Backstedt
* Aniek van Alphen, Laura Verdonschot, Manon Bakker
Weather and TV
According to weather site Meteorologist It could be a rainy day in Mol on Friday. Precipitation would fall on the Zilvermeer all day long, about 6.5 mm in total. With a wind force of 4 Beaufort and temperatures up to 9 degrees Celsius, it is not exactly pleasant.
Sporza will be there on Friday from 1:30 PM for a live broadcast of both the men’s and women’s elite riders. Dutch viewers can go to ten minutes later Eurosport 1 and the online channels Eurosport.nl/Discovery+/GCN+.
2023-12-21 07:15:00
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