Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) had a dominant run in his first cyclocross race of the season, winning the Superprestige in Boom by a wide margin over runner-up Toon Aerts (Baloise Trek).

Juan Aerts had a mild cold (negative COVID-19 test) this week and was anxious to see how he would run, but he quickly showed top level running on the steep climbs that others had to run.

This move and Aerts' crash meant that Van Aert never relinquished the lead.

"I immediately felt my ability and was able to move up quickly. I didn't expect that at all," Van Aert said.

"I was actually trying to make up some ground on Toon, but when I looked back, the gap was huge. I then looked for my pace and found that it was faster than the rest of the field."

"I was able to get back to the top of the field and then I was able to get back to the top of the field.

In the closing laps, Van Aert's lead was close to two minutes, but on the second to last lap, he lost control on a slippery descent where many riders had fallen and landed on the drive side of his bike. The chain had come off and he had to run to the pits to get a new machine, but it hardly mattered.

"When you're leading this much, you lose focus. But that's part of it."

The Belgian champion underestimated the importance of such a dominant victory in the opening round. Last season, Van Aert needed four races to win a similarly grueling race in Herentals. This season, others are competing in an unusually heavy calendar that is more taxing, with World Cup races almost every week.

"I shouldn't draw too strong a conclusion from this, but in any case it's much better than expected," Van Aert said.

"Last week's training in the rain was not in vain. And it has given me confidence for what lies ahead."

Aerts was also surprised by Van Aert's strength. He said, "It's unbelievable what Wout Van Aert is doing here. It was expected that he would join the lead group. But the fact that he did so many laps in one lap shows a lot of confidence."

Van Aert has a packed cyclocross calendar, with a double race next weekend in Essen and Val di Sole, Italy, followed by a race in Spain He will be attending the Jumbo-Visma team camp. He will return for the Dendermonde World Cup Christmas race on December 26 and then will compete the entire schedule until the Belgian championships on January 9.