Cyclo-cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) continued his utter dominance in the World Cup in Benidorm, soloing from the first lap to the finish to extend his lead in the series.
Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) out-paced Spanish champion Felipe Orts (Ridley) to claim second.
Van der Poel hadn't even definitively confirmed his participation in the race until Saturday, but showed he was more than ready to resume his winning ways and extend his streak to 21 races.
The Dutchman's last defeat came in a hot, dusty Benidorm World Cup in 2024, two full years ago, and were it not for that one off day, his streak would have been 34 victories in a row.
Despite the predictable outcome, the Spanish crowds thrilled to the sight of their national champion Orts battling for the podium.
After a tough start, Orts profited from a lull in the pace to attack halfway through the race, drawing Nys out and teaming up in pursuit of Van der Poel.
A mistake on the final lap saw Orts lose touch with Nys but by then, they had opened up more than enough time on the nearest chasers to be assured podium time.
I didn't expect to be alone for so long. Normally it's always decided in the last lap here. I thought this year would be the same. The conditions were a bit different," Van der Poel said afterwards in his flash TV interview.
"[Teammate] Tibor [del Grosso] did a very good first lap and I saw a little gap and decided to immediately go for it.
"I pushed for one or two laps really hard and hoped the riders were a bit looking at each other, and that's what happened, I think."
How it unfolded
Sunny skies and a lap that was wickedly fast mix of dry dirt, grass, deep sand, and some sections of standing water met the 55-rider field for the elite men's race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Benidorm.
After a small mistake at the gun, Van der Poel quickly recovered to slot onto the wheel of Del Grosso, who took the hole shot.
Their attentiveness paid off when, on the first trip over the hurdles, European Champion Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché) made an error and went over the bars while on Van der Poel's wheel and briefly blocked the rest of the field.
That gaffe gave Del Grosso and Van der Poel an immediate gap, and the Dutch champion was happy to sit up when Van der Poel accelerated to ride away solo.
Belgian champion Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) caught and passed Del Grosso. However, by the end of lap two, the duo were back together with Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley), Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech Devo), Maes Hendrikx and Kevin Kuhn (Heizomat-Cube), Felipe Orts (Ridley), Aerts and Jente Michels (Alpecin-Premier Tech Devo), a full 30 seconds behind the world champion Van der Poel.
Nieuwenhuis opened up a gap on the chasing group on lap three, only for Nys to close in with Hendrikx. The trio thus formed the first chasing group, with Del Grosso a few seconds behind.
The pace let up midway through the race, as Nys headed into the pits for a fresh bike before rejoining a swelling chase that was back up to seven riders, now at 47 seconds.
On lap five, it was Orts who launched an attack and quickly opened a gap in front of his home crowd. He ended the circuit with three seconds on Nys, who was in the process of bridging across.
Nys made it across, although with 47 seconds to Van der Poel, there was little chance they would be fighting for victory.
Speaking later Nys recognised that had he not been closer to the front early on, things might have changed, even if the final result would have ended up being the same.
"I'm a bit disappointed that I was a bit too far in the first lap, because I had the feeling I had quite good legs," he told reporters, "and think I might be able to follow Mathieu for for a bit longer."
Still, the Belgian champion wanted Orts to stay with him in the pursuit and they managed to chip seven seconds off Van der Poel's lead and had 18 seconds on the chase led by Aerts.
Nys then opened a gap to the Spaniard on the final lap, while Orts battled back to celebrate his podium in front of his fans with a wheelie just behind.
"It's unbelievable for me. I'm very happy. To take a podium at home is absolutely crazy," Orts recounted later.
"I attacked at the correct moment and Thibau and I were able to work together. Finally I was absolutely on the limit and Thibau was second, but I'm very happy with my race and with taking the podium."
"It's his [Orts'] home race," pointed out Nys, "and it was a perfect moment for me to turn the throttle open. It was nice to take him with me and enjoy riding for his home crowd."
Results
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