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Laura Weislo

'I am very disappointed' – No more cyclo-cross battles with Mathieu van der Poel as Wout van Aert to undergo surgery after crash in Mol

Belgian Wout van Aert pictured ahead of the men's elite race of the Zilvermeercross cyclocross cycling event in Mol, stage 5/7 in the Exact Cross competition, on Friday 02 January 2026.BELGA PHOTO LUC CLAESSEN (Photo by LUC CLAESSEN / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP).

Wout van Aert finally looked to be almost the better of cyclo-cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel for the first time this season during the Exact Cross in Mol on Friday, suggesting he was arriving at peak form.

However, the snowy conditions led to a hard fall for the Belgian and worrying signs as Van Aert then dropped out of the race while visiting the mechanical pits.

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