Preview Exact Cross Mol 2023 | The first duel between Van Aert and Van der Poel!

The Zilvermeercross - which is raced in the eastern part of the Antwerp province - is a young but already well-known competition. The first edition took place in 2014, and until 2021, the race was a standalone event on the calendar. Since last year, however, the sand race has been part of the Exact Cross.

Looking at the roll of honor, we can see many of the same names pop up again and again, especially in the men's category: Wout van Aert won four times, Mathieu van der Poel twice, David van der Poel once and Corné van Kessel also once. In the women's category, there is a bit more variation in terms of the winners, which include Sanne Cant, Lucinda Brand, Shirin van Anrooij, Laura Verdonschot, Jolien Verschueren and Sabrina Stultiens.

2022 Wout van Aert / Shirin van Anrooij
2021 Cancelled due to lack of good TVcontract
2020 Wout van Aert / Lucinda Brand
2019 Mathieu van der Poel / Laura Verdonschot
2018 Corné van Kessel / Sanne Cant
2017 David van der Poel / Lucinda Brand
2016 Mathieu van der Poel / Sanne Cant
2015 Wout van Aert / Sabrina Stultiens
2014 Wout van Aert / Jolien Verschueren

The course in Mol - a town with 38,000 inhabitants known as a hotspot in the Belgian Kempen region - consists mainly of sand. Sand, sand... and then some more sand, one might say. In the Zilvermeer provincial recreation area, people often swim, row or water ski in the summer. Many people also enjoy spending a few hours on the small beach by the lake, making the term 'sand race' quite apt.

The loop itself has hardly changed compared to last year. The race essentially features two long sand sections, which run parallel to each other in a distinctive way. There is also a substantial sand passage around the dune located towards the back of the course, which also climbs steeply. So are there any forest sections at all? Yes, but that is certainly not the main event here. The fact that the race is almost continuously ridden along the Zilvermeer will undoubtedly provide beautiful images (something we can confirm based on previous editions).

On Wednesday and Friday, a fair amount of rain is expected in Mol, which could make the sand harder to ride for some. On Friday afternoon, the chance of rain - according to Belgian meteorologists - is about fifty percent. That means it remains to be seen whether we will actually get a sand race in rough weather conditions.

Times
Start women's race: 1:45 PM
Finish women's race: around 2:30 PM
Start men's race: 3:00 PM
Finish men's race: around 4:00 PM

Two absolute top favorites will be at the starting line on Friday afternoon in Mol: Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. The long-time archrivals will compete against each other for the first time since the Cyclo-cross World Cup in Hoogerheide (which was indeed a long time ago), which will undoubtedly attract many spectators to the Zilvermeer area. The Alpecin-Deceuninck phenomenon might have a slight edge in terms of being the favorite, although it is only a minimal difference. Van der Poel demonstrated in Herentals that he is immediately in form, as usual. However, the same was true for the Jumbo-Visma superstar, albeit in a qualitatively weaker field of participants.

In short, Van Aert and Van der Poel stand head and shoulders above the rest in this favorites ranking. It seems that the rest of the field will be battling for third place, with Quinten Hermans, Niels Vandeputte and Gianni Vermeersch (all three being teammates of Van der Poel at Alpecin-Deceuninck) as the main contenders.

Riders such as Lars van der Haar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Eli Iserbyt and Laurens Sweeck will not be participating in Mol. Partly for this reason, a top five dominated by Alpecin-Deceuninck seems very likely. However, we would also like to mention Toon Vandebosch (Crelan-Corendon), the returning Daan Soete (Deschacht-Hens-Maes), Arne Baers (Circus-ReUz-Technord), Anton Ferdinande (Deschacht-Hens-Maes) and Vincent Bastaens (Spits CX Team).

Top favorites: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
Outsiders: Quinten Hermans, Niels Vandeputte and Gianni Vermeersch (all Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Longshots: Toon Vandebosch (Crelan-Corendon), Anton Ferdinande (Deschacht-Hens-Maes) and Vincent Bastaens (Spits CX Team)

Puck Pieterse and Fem van Empel will not be racing in Mol. This automatically makes Lucinda Brand the woman to beat. The amiable Dutch rider has already won twice in Mol. Moreover, the Baloise Trek Lions star is in excellent form, having recently almost beaten Van Empel.

The biggest threat to Brand comes from her own team. Fellow Dutch rider and teammate Shirin van Anrooij has only participated in six cyclo-cross races so far this year, not all of which went smoothly. For example, the 21-year-old finished fourteenth at the Citadel of Namur. Nonetheless, Van Anrooij should be considered capable of competing for a podium spot in Mol, especially since she triumphed in the sand around the lake last year. The course certainly suits her well.

When Van Anrooij won last year, the talented Zoe Bäckstedt (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) impressively finished fourth. The young British rider is also having an inconsistent season, marked by high peaks but also deep valleys. In Namur, Bäckstedt finished 26th (!), so her current form is somewhat uncertain. If she is back in form, she should definitely be considered a serious contender. The same goes for snow queen Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon), sand specialist Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Aniek van Alphen (Cyclocross Reds), Laura Verdonschot (De Ceuster - Bonache) and Blanka Kata Vas (SD Worx). Finally, we should also mention Anna Kay, from whom much is now expected.

Top favorite: Ludinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions)
Outsiders: Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) and Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon)
Longshots: Zoe Bäckstedt (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), Blanka Kata Vas (SD Worx), Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Aniek van Alphen (Cyclocross Reds)

Unlike last year, the race will not take place in the evening. Therefore, you can tune in at the normal times, starting at 1:30 PM on Sporza (VRT 1) and at 1:40 PM on Eurosport and the online platforms (Eurosport.nl/Discovery+ and GCN+).