Preview: Exact Cross Loenhout 2023 – A piece of cake for Mathieu van der Poel?

Niels Bastiaens •
Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 7:50 AM

Who will keep Mathieu van der Poel from winning the Loenhout Azencross? Perhaps his own teammates, because the troops of Alpecin-Deceuninck will arrive at the start of the Kempen tradition cross with a strong delegation. CyclingFlits looks ahead to the battle.

History

Last ten winners Loenhout
Men
2022: Wout van Aert
2021: Wout van Aert
2020: Not held
2019: Mathieu van der Poel
2018: Mathieu van der Poel
2017: Mathieu van der Poel
2016: Wout van Aert
2015: Tom Meeusen
2014: Wout van Aert
2013: Sven Nys

Women
2022: Shirin van Anrooij
2021: Lucinda Brand
2020: Not held
2019: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado
2018: Lucinda Brand
2017: True Cant
2016: True Cant
2015: True Cant
2014: Catherine Nash
2013: Marianne Vos

Last year

Exact Cross 2022-2023
Rash Loenhout, men
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma)
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 1s
3. Tom Pidcock (INEOS-Grenadiers) in z.t.
4. Cameron Mason (Trinity) op 1m08s
5. Gerben Kuypers (Proximus-AlphaMotorhomes) on 1m36s

Exact Cross 2022-2023
Rash Loenhout, women
1. Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions)
2. Marie Schreiber (Tormans) on 59s
3. Manon Bakker (Crelan-Fristads) at 1m29s
4. Lauren Molengraaf (Tormans) at 1m43s
5. Line Burquier op 1m48s

Course

There are few courses that have remained the same over the years as that of Loenhout. No changes have been made to the circulation in the sub-municipality of Wuustwezel this year either. Yet many different scenarios are possible in Loenhout every year.

Remember the slogging battles between Niels Albert and Sven Nys in the mud, but also the half bunch sprint behind Tom Meeusen in 2015. Last year the Big Three sprinted for victory in Loenhout. With frequent rainfall, a number of strips can quickly turn into a kind of swampy surface. The weather has a particularly large influence on the course and which race scenario we get.

Characteristic of the cross are the long straight stretches around the football field, where you can really gain speed. There are also a number of harder roads and of course the asphalt strip towards the arrival. It is perhaps one of the longest of the season, and tactical decisions often play a major role there. Just think of Meeusen’s victory.

As usual, Loenhout also has a number of canals as natural obstacles, a number of technical passages in the forest, a few bridges, beams and of course the iconic washboard – which has been in service since 2004 – to offer. In terms of difficulty, however, the Ace Cross is not the most difficult of the end-of-year period.

Program and information

Program Friday December 29, 2023
12.10 pm: Junior men
1.45 pm: Elite women and U23
3 p.m.: Elite men and U23

Location
Hoogstraatseweg 63, 2990 Loenhout

Public information
Presale tickets are available at €15 each (until Thursday 22 December) via organization’s website. There are also tickets available at the box office at the cross itself. Children up to 12 years old can enter for free.

Practical info
Website organization
Website Exact Cross

Participant lists

Favorites men

We don’t want to write anything disrespectful about the participating riders, but should the Azencross actually still be held? If Mathieu van der Poel participates, then the rest of this season seems to have no chance anyway. And now his closest competitors, Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Eli Iserbyt and Lars van der Haar, also fail. Then it becomes a complete playground for the strong world champion.

Much has been said and written about this last week, but according to a number of insiders it seems that we are currently looking for the best Mathieu van der Poel ever look in the field. Team manager Christoph Roodhooft thinks he knows why. “The past fourteen months have passed smoothly and peacefully. Everything went according to plan, without any illnesses or accidents whatsoever. He has reached an age where many things are falling into place. He feels good, technically it is almost flawless, his bike is optimal, his position is ideal. And of course everything starts with his talent.”

However, in Loenhout it could be a strange cross. It is mainly the long asphalt strip towards the arrival that promotes this. There the debates are often fought tactically. Van der Poel brings many hyper-motivated teammates from Alpecin-Deceuninck to Loenhout, and they could disrupt the cross. Whoever gets away first could very well find themselves in a winning position.

Our star distribution therefore largely consists of riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck. On paper it is Niels Vandeputte Van der Poel’s strongest teammate, but he is completing his fourth cross in four days in Loenhout. And the next day he also starts in the Hulst World Cup. “In any case, it will be a tough challenge, both physically and mentally. I’m looking forward to it and I’m curious to see what this will do to my body. Normally I don’t get worse by riding a lot of crosses, so I’m not worried,” Vandeputte said earlier.

Gianni Vermeersch has become primarily a good road cyclist, but his cyclo-cross ambitions are still present – to a limited extent. Vermeersch has already started his transition to the road a little further than, say, Quinten Hermans or Timo Kielich, but thanks to places of honor in Herentals and Mol, it became clear that Vermeersch can safely aim for top 5 places.

Take too Girl Michels (including Alpecin-Deceuninck) and you see that the competition will have to compete against a strong block. Cameron Mason (Cyclocross Reds) has the same employer with the Roodhooft brothers, but given his different jersey, he will have a lot of work to compete against Van der Poel and co. The British champion will be the great challenger, and in a cross that suits him very well. Last year he came fourth in Loenhout.

Toon Vandebosch represents Crelan-Corendon, the third team of the Roodhooft brothers. He is still a bit too inconsistent at times, but can compete for a podium on top days. As for the other teams: Ryan Kamp is the only starter on behalf of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, and Thijs Aerts, Felipe Orts, Jens Adams and Lander Loockx are also present.

Favorites according to WielerFlits
*** Mathieu van der Poel
**Cameron Mason, Toon Vandebosch
* Niels Vandeputte, Gianni Vermeersch, Jente Michels

Favorites women

Not too strong a line-up among the ladies in Loenhout. In particular, the dominant Dutch women, who have to compete at full strength in the World Cup in their own country the next day, give up en masse for Exact Cross in Loenhout. Manon Baker (Crelan-Corendon) is the only one to make an exception. She is also known for preferring to race as much as possible. Not every terrain suits her, but when she’s on her day – remember, Val di Sole – Bakker is capable of anything.

The biggest competition comes from within your own team, because also True Cant (Crelan-Corendon) is gradually improving. Cant missed part of her season due to a knee injury, but since her Spanish training internship has ended, she is regularly the first Belgian in the results. In the Superprestigecross of Heusden-Zolder she even just missed the podium. Sanne Cant is definitely back, and a triumph in a TV cross would be great for her.

Although there are quite a few outsiders lurking around. The Czech seasonal revelation Kristyna Zemanova for example, which is always difficult to estimate. Or the very young Lauren Molengraaf. What riders like Marthe Truyen of Anna Kay As far as this is concerned, the victory is probably too ambitious. But it certainly has a place of honor.

Favorites according to WielerFlits
*** True Cant
** Manon Bakker, Kristyna Zemanova
* Lauren Molengraaf, Marthe Truyen, Anna Kay

Weather and TV

According to weather site Meteorologist it could be rainy in Loenhout on Friday. Precipitation would fall in the Kempen all day long, about 10 mm in total. With a wind force of 4 Beaufort and temperatures up to 12 degrees Celsius, it is not exactly pleasant.

Sporza will be there on Friday from 1:30 PM for a live broadcast of both the men’s and women’s elite riders. Dutch viewers can go to ten minutes later Eurosport 1 and the online channels Eurosport.nl/Discovery+/GCN+.