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Stephen Farrand

'I believed I could turn it into a battle' - two punctures on same rock ends Wout van Aert's clash with Mathieu van der Poel at Azencross

Van Aert van der Poel Mathieu van der Poel Wout Van Aert Belga DAVID PINTENS

Belgian Wout van Aert pictured in action during the men's elite race of the Azencross, the fifth stage in the DVV Trofee (out of eight), Monday 29 December 2025, in Loenhout. BELGA PHOTO DAVID PINTENS (Photo by DAVID PINTENS / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP).

Just when it looked like there would be a cyclo-cross battle royale between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, a rock sparked a puncture for the Belgian, ending his hopes of defeating his eternal rival at X2O Trofee Loenhout-Azencross.

A second puncture, incredibly on the same rock, meant that van Aert finished a despondent tenth, at 1:26, as van der Poel took his sixth win of the winter.

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