The 2018/19 cyclocross season has come to an end. The following is a look back at the season that was. We take a look at all the major series, along with some other interesting stats, to take a deeper dive into what this season brought us. Despite the domination of Mathieu van der Poel, these series/stats give us a glimpse into the future and what we may see next season.
UCI Ranking
While not an official series or competition, the UCI Ranking is a fun thing to look at and follow. After a dominating season, it is no surprise that Mathieu van der Poel leads the rankings. Behind him however, is a close battle between Wout van Aert and Toon Aerts. The World Championships were a big factor in Van Aert keeping second.
- Mathieu van der Poel – 2600
- Wout van Aert – 2452
- Toon Aerts – 2415
World Cup
The World Cup overall came down to the final race in Hoogerheide. Toon Aerts was able to get away from Wout van Aert, picking up second place and capturing the overall. Mathieu van der Poel took third place in the series by winning all of the races (six out of nine) he started.
- Toon Aerts – 615
- Wout van Aert – 613
- Mathieu van der Poel – 480 (6/9)
Superprestige
Mathieu van der Poel achieved perfection by winning all eight races in the Superprestige series. The only other rider to accomplish this feat was Sven Nys in the 2006/07 season. Toon Aerts finished a distant second, with Lars van der Haar even further back in third.
- Mathieu van der Poel – 120
- Toon Aerts – 107
- Lars van der Haar – 86
DVV Trofee
The DVV Trofee is the only series based on time. Much like a stage race, the winner is the rider with the lowest accumulated time over eight races. Mathieu van der Poel dominated the series (shocker) by winning all but one race. However, that race left him chasing Toon Aerts until the final two races. Michael Vanthourenhout finished in third place, nearly six minutes behind Van der Poel.
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Toon Aerts – 1:26
- Michael Vanthourenhout – 5:50
Total UCI Races
Another non official category, total UCI races is a fun one to look at. Dieter Vanthourenhout leads the way with 45 races. The rest of the top three (two groups of riders) are all European based riders.
- Dieter Vanthourenhout – 45
- Jens Adams, Tom Meeusen, Laurens Sweeck – 41
- Kevin Pauwels, Michael Boros, Thijs Aerts, Michael Vanthourenhout, Tim Merlier – 39
UCI Wins
It should come as no surprise that Mathieu van der Poel had the most UCI wins this season. His 32 wins is a whopping 24 more than second place. American Kerry Werner had the next most, while a pair of Americans and a Spaniard had the third most with seven. The bevy of Americans in the top three is a bit surprising since their season is significantly shorter than the European one. With that said, the American riders often race twice a weekend, every week, during their season. This gives them more opportunities to pick up wins.
- Mathieu van der Poel – 32
- Kerry Werner – 8
- Curtis White, Gage Hecht , Felipe Orts – 7
Conclusion
As we all know, Mathieu van der Poel had perhaps the greatest cyclocross season ever. He won the UCI Ranking, Superprestige, DVV Trofee and had the most UCI wins. He placed third in the World Cup despite only racing six out of the nine races – and winning them all. Defending World Champion Wout van Aert had a season that he would like to forget. Van Aert finished second in the World Cup and UCI Ranking. However, he did not finish in the top three in any of the major series. What is also evident by these results (as most of us know) is that Toon Aerts is clearly the second best rider in the world. With Wout van Aert turning to the road and Mathieu van der Poel starting to split more of his time among other disciplines, Aerts could be the future of cross. This is great news after a season dominated by one rider.
