Van der Poel began the event seeking to secure a sixth victory in eight World Cup event only to fall behind early to Belgian rival Wout van Aert after a delayed bike change.

The 23-year-old quickly close the gap to van Aert, however, with the duo then pulling from the rest of the field.

As the race approached the halfway mark, Van der Poel edged clear and started to increase his lead in the final four laps of the course.

The Dutchman crossed the line in a winning time of 1 hour 06min 56sec, eventually finishing 33 seconds clear of van Aert.

The podium was completed by Belgium’s Toon Aerts, who finished in 1:09:05.

Katie Compton earned her first World Cup victory of the season, the American triumphing after a solo move in the women’s event.

Compton surged clear in the early stages and steadily built her advantage throughout the race, the 39-year-old nearly ending a minute ahead of her nearest challenger.

She completed the course in a time of 45min 03sec, with her compatriot Kaitlin Keough ending 55 seconds down in second place. 

Pauline Ferrand Prevot, the newly crowned French national champion, rounded off the podium in front of a home crowd.

The 25-year-old finished 80 seconds behind the winner.

Despite ending down in 12th, Sanne Cant was able to celebrate claiming the overall World Cup title.

The Belgian had triumphed in four of the eight World Cup events to date and cannot be caught at the concluding competition at Hoogerheide on January 28.

Van der Poel has already been assured of the men’s title.