In simply his second race since returning to cyclocross this winter, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) took his first victory of the season on the Superprestige Gullegem after an exciting battle with Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines).
Van Aert resisted powerful challenges all through the eight-lap race close to Kortrijk, with Iserbyt and his teammate Michael Vanthourenhout placing him underneath critical strain till the latter dropped away and the previous made a mistake on the ultimate lap which allowed Van Aert to journey solo to the win.
It appeared as if Iserbyt would possibly be capable to higher his Belgian compatriot as he took over the lead as soon as the pair took the bell forward of the remainder of the sphere, nevertheless, Van Aert was just too neat in his efficiency. Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout did come dwelling safely to take second and third.
The race was Van Aert’s first win because the World Cup in Benidorm final January and marks a whole comeback to type after his street season was ended quick in September because of a heavy crash on the Vuelta a España.
Superprestige sequence chief Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) fought again after a sluggish begin to end fifth and lengthen his total lead over second-place Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) after the Dutchman needed to relocate his shoulder. Vandeputte will head into the ultimate spherical in Middelkerke with a 10-point lead.
After Lucinda Brand soloed to victory within the ladies’s race in Gullegem, the anticipation stayed excessive for the beginning of the lads’s race because it introduced the second look of Van Aert within the 2024-25 cyclocross season.
With all eyes on the Belgian, he acquired off the road rapidly from the second row and jumped rapidly into third, earlier than finally setting into the main group of 9 riders, with race favourites Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon), Vanrthourenhout and Iserbyt all current.
A small slip from Van der Haar allowed Vanthourenhout, Sweek and Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) to get a small hole. Van Aert rapidly sensed the hazard and closed the hole to make it 4 with a slim lead.
Van Aert moved into the lead for the primary time at the beginning of lap 4 and began to use the strain. With the next tempo and extra expertise on present, solely Vanthourenhout might stick with the three-time CX world champion.
Vanthourenhout took over from Van Aert after a small mistake from the Visma man. But on the identical time, Iserbyt started to shut the hole with Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) shut behind to make it a bunch of 4 in entrance.
Iserbyt took over from his teammate to once more assault Van Aert on lap six, forcing him to work onerous and maintain issues collectively till he retook the lead on the penultimate lap.
Van Aert put in a sequence of jabs however struggled to drop the Belgian champion, ceding the lead as soon as once more at the beginning of the ultimate lap. However, Iserbyt made one small mistake adopted by a much bigger error when he acquired caught on a steep financial institution, permitting Van Aert to journey away for his first victory of the winter.
Results
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