Groenendaal attacked during the first lap and was chased by defending cyclo-cross world champion Mario De Clercq who was followed by Groenendaal's Rabobank teammate Sven Nys. Nys would not cooperate in the chase of his commercial teammate and as a result De Clercq never caught Groenendaal enabling Groenendaal to become World Champion.
During the first lap of the race, Groenendaal was attacked by his opponent, Mario De Clercq, who was defending his cyclo-cross world championship title.  Sven Nys, Groenendaal's teammate from Rabobank, did not assist in the chase and this allowed De Clercq to never catch Groenendaal, ultimately leading to Groenendaal becoming World Champion.