The most anticipated cyclo-cross reunion of the year came to a premature end on Friday after Wout van Aert suffered a season-ending crash in an intense showdown with Mathieu van der Poel at the Exact Cross in Mol.
Van Aert and van der Poel reignited their rivalry at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Antwerpen last month and were supposed to clash across several races in the 2025/26 cyclo-cross season.
However, snowy conditions and an icy corner sent van Aert crashing to the ground just behind van der Poel, forcing him to abandon the race and his winter campaign.
Belgian, Dutchman continue head-to-head battle
Alpecin–Premier Tech’s van der Poel has shown very strong form since his winning appearance at Cyclo-cross Namur on December 14.
He stormed to another win in his first head-to-head battle against van Aert this season in Antwerpen on December 20, which started a chain reaction of dominance as he has won every single race he has participated in since then.
Van Aert of Visma–Lease a Bike, on the other hand, has struggled to sustain form in his races, although he managed to finish second at the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder on December 23.
That was until the snowy Exact Cross in Belgium’s Mol on Friday, where van Aert upped the tempo from the start, setting a high pace on the first lap and leaving van der Poel no other choice but to react.
What ensued was a brilliant showdown between the two rivals, with both of them breaking away from the rest of the field to charge to the front.
Van der Poel managed to put a 15 to 20–second gap between them in a tricky sand section, but van Aert caught up to him after he took advantage of van der Poel’s own slip-off.
From there, it was pure ‘mano a mano’, recalling every race they have ever fought in since their first-ever clash more than a decade ago as kids.
However, that came to an abrupt end when van Aert slipped at a paved corner right behind van der Poel.
Van Aert tried to ride the course for a few seconds more, but the Belgian eventually abandoned the race, and with no one else left to challenge him, van der Poel maintained the pace and cruised to another solo win.
Toon Aerts of Charles Liègeois–Deschacht took second place while Felipe Orts of Ridley Racing Team finished third.
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Van Aert’s road to recovery
In a Visma press release, sports director Jan Boven said van Aert felt pain in his ankle.
“It’s a shame the race had to end this way, because Wout was very strong and it was a great duel,” Boven explained.
Visma later confirmed that van Aert “sprained his ankle and sustained a small fracture” – spelling the end of his cyclo-cross season.
“Of course, I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclo-cross season like this,” van Aert admitted in a post on Visma’s Instagram page.
“I was feeling better and better, including today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian Championships.
“But my focus will now be on recovery, and later on, the preparation of the road season.”
In another update, Visma confirmed van Aert underwent “successful” surgery on Saturday and will now focus his efforts on recovery.
The crash also throws a spanner in the works ahead of his preparations for the road season, particularly since he is targeting the spring Classics this year.
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Cycling’s rivalry of the decade
Van der Poel didn’t shy away from commenting about the brutally cold conditions in a post-race interview during which he only stayed for a brief session.
When asked whether he and van Aert could have held on together until the end, van der Poel said: “He looked quite strong, so it’s difficult to say of course, but we will never know.”
He also sent a ‘get-well soon’ message to van Aert in a social media post, saying: “Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
Cycling has produced plenty of rivalries, from Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in the modern era to Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi in the 1940s and 50s.
Van der Poel and van Aert were no exception, with one of their first major battles being at the 2012 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, although their paths crossed in races earlier than that.
They have dominated the discipline since then, eventually extending their fights onto the road where they snatched stage wins in Grand Tours and even some Classics.
But that duel also became a highly tense clash of giants.
Over the years, their bond plunged to an all-time low filled with public spats before blooming into a friendly rivalry, one propped up with mutual respect, sportsmanship and praise – showing just how profoundly intertwined their sporting lives have become.
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