OPENINGMaasmechelen, the eleventh round of the World Cup, on the sandy, fast Limburg circuit that suits powerful riders. Van der Poel went to the front early in his usual fashion, dictating the pace and stretching the lead group thin over the opening laps.

UNFOLDSThe day was not the procession it might have been: Van der Poel suffered two punctures that briefly reopened the race and let his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates and Thibau Nys back into contention. Each time he recovered the gap, riding back through the field and onto the front, the rest of the lead group unable to hold the surge once he had clear track.

DECIDEDWith the punctures behind him Van der Poel re-established control and rode away in the closing laps, while behind him the race for the minor placings was an all-Alpecin affair — Del Grosso and Vandeputte distancing the chase to lock out the podium for the team.

FINALEVan der Poel took it by three seconds from Del Grosso, with Vandeputte a further second back, completing an Alpecin-Premier Tech 1-2-3. Thibau Nys was the best of the rest at +0:06 in fourth. The win was Van der Poel's 50th in the World Cup and pushed his overall lead over Nys to 38 points with one round, Hoogerheide, remaining.