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Cross rivalry gets heated on road to glory in Flanders

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Eamonn Sweeney

One of sport’s most interesting individual rivalries continues today in the Tour of Flanders. Last year’s race saw Holland’s Mathieu van der Poel win in a photo finish over Belgium’s Wout van Aert which seemed like a microcosm of the battle between the pair.

The two 26-year-olds have dominated Cyclo Cross, road racing’s gruelling cross-country cousin, winning the last seven world titles between them.

Now they’ve turned their attention to the road.

Van der Poel’s Tour of Flanders win was his first in one of the five Monument races which are the sport’s most prestigious one-day classics. Two months earlier, Van Aert had won his first, the Milan-San Remo.

Today’s Monument is the first of three this month with the most famous of all, Paris-Roubaix, next Sunday.

Adding spice is a personal animus epitomised by Van Aert’s comments after last year’s Gent-Wevelgem that, “There was only one rider who was really targeting me. Apparently he preferred to see me lose than making a chance to win the race himself.”

Today battle is rejoined in what Seán Kelly called, “one of the most horrible races to ride but one of the greatest races to win.”

A thrilling month awaits.

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