European cyclocross champion Michael Vanthourenhout won Kermiscross in Ardooie on Thursday, finishing three seconds ahead of Pauwel’s Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Eli Iserbyt.
Witse Meeussen (Crelan-Corendon) confirmed that Belgium was on the podium, 10 seconds behind in third place. The reigning Belgian U23 champion avoided technical problems after suffering three punctures at Exact Cross Beringen last week to secure his first elite podium finish.
Vanthourenhout, who finished second in Beringen in his first cyclocross race of the year, escaped on the final lap with his teammate and Meeussen at the front of the race and managed to gain a lead over the duo in the final corners.
“I decided to set my pace and only give it my all at the end. It quickly became clear that Iserbyt and I were just a little bit better, so we had to wait until the right moment to accelerate. We did that just before the start of the last lap,” he said Het Nieuwsblad.
“After the bell rang I changed bikes, one with slightly higher tire pressure in case there was a sprint, but mainly because I could take a little more risk in the corners than the others “Very good move,” said Vanthourenhout.
The podium trio was part of a leading group of nine riders halfway through the race, which faded away until the last lap, mainly due to the high pace of the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal duo.
Iserbyt was recovering from his disqualification a week ago in Beringen, where he reacted to his former teammate Ryan Kamp after an accident and trampled on his bike. The Belgian men’s elite champion said he had “a difficult few days” afterwards, but the crowd at Wednesday’s race was “respectful” and he was able to concentrate on the task at hand.
Results
Results provided by FirstCycling
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