Share

Racing

What a save! Mathieu van der Poel tames infamous Zonhoven cyclo-cross course with supreme display of bike handling

Check out this save by cyclo-cross star Mathieu van der Poel

Superprestige Zonhoven has a reputation as one of the toughest races in cyclo-cross, with the deep sand quarry a true test of nerve and bike-handling ability. The quarry serves as a natural amphitheatre, filled with thousands of spectators, and the world’s best riders attack the super-steep descent at a pace us mere mortals can barely fathom, before scaling the opposite side, shin-deep in sand.

But Mathieu van der Poel is a rider capable of taking it all in his stride, claiming his eighth victory in nine races so far this season at last weekend’s edition of Superprestige Zonhoben. Even when van der Poel was nearly knocked off his stride by Zonhoven’s sandy descent, the 22-year-old’s superb bike-handling skills saved him.

Just as the Zonhoven course looked to get the better of van der Poel, with the 2015 CX world champion about to get thrown off the front of the bike, he recovered to stay upright, riding on to claim victory by 22 seconds over Wout Van Aert. Check it out.

Close call, love it ???? #luckyme @playsportsbe

A post shared by MVDP (@mathieuvanderpoel) on

Share

Newsletter Terms & Conditions

Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy.

Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions.

production