Despite tired legs from a World Cup race on Tuesday, Thursday afternoon’s Azencross DVV did not disappoint, with rivalries between the season’s top picks for world champion — Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout Van Aert — at the front of the men’s race and current world champion Sanne Cant reaffirming her place as top woman in the elite women’s race.

With two more races to go before the “Christmas Week” block is over, riders are certainly tired, but today’s race showed that it’s possible to keep the candle burning at both ends for a few weeks during an already-packed season.

Sanne Won’t Back Down

For a few races in December — including Overijse and the World Cup in Namur — it seemed like the reigning world champ and World Cup leader was possibly losing her mojo. After finishing behind Pauline Ferrand-Prevot — almost a duplication of what happened the year Prevot won at worlds — Cant must have been feeling pressure to perform.

Unfortunately, a bad start at Namur set her back, and while she retained her lead in the World Cup overall, it must have been a blow to her on a mental level. Added to that, she was at 99 career wins, with the elusive 100th looming in the distance. Thankfully, she seems to have pulled herself out of the slight slump, reaching the century mark in the win column at the Zolder World Cup and then her 101st at Azencross.

Is There A Race VDP Won’t Win?

Sporza immediately reported that this was the first time that young Mathieu Van der Poel took the win at Azencross, but to be honest, is there a race that the Dutch rider conceivably won’t win in his career? This win also propels him into the lead of the DVV series, so we can guess that he’ll be bringing his A-game to Baal for the next round.

Calculating his bonuses and overall winnings for the season — like the $12,500 payout for winning Overijse for the third time — must take several accounts at this point.

Katie Compton Is Being Katie

Compton is following her traditional model to a T: anyone who’s followed her career in recent years knows that she has a tendency to have bad luck and some health issues earlier in the season, and peaks in time for nationals.

Moving nationals to January from December has simply shifted her peak time, it seems, as she finished third today behind Lucinda Brand after a second-place finish at Zolder. It’s worth noting that this is likely due to her allergies. Compton eats an anti-histamine diet in order to control them, but early-season races can be tough for her because of the allergens in the air. Winter weather is her best time to race, hence her success in cyclocross.

Toon Aerts And Lucinda Brand Are On Fire

In looking at the winner, sadly, this season it seems like it’s the Van der Poel or Van Aert show — unless one or both of them is missing from the race. But looking right behind them, there’s a huge stable of guys who could easily take the podium spot, and Toon Aerts has been having a fantastic season — his third-place run behind the two today was absolutely not a surprise, especially after a second-place finish in Namur.

He’s absolutely a top contender for a worlds podium. And in the women’s race, the same is true of Lucinda Brand, who also took the win on Saturday at Sint-Niklaas. She could handily make her way onto the worlds podium — or win the race on the right day, given the right (roadie-friendly) conditions

By Molly Hurford; Photos by Balint Hamvas – Cyclephotos