Aniek van Alphen was not really happy with Blanka Vas's racing behavior in the final lap of the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder, but the Hungarian rider is unaware of any wrongdoing. "It was a normal fight for the corner," she said afterwards on Telenet Play Sports.
Especially in the last lap, things got quite intense between Van Alphen and Vas. At one point, they even went shoulder-to-shoulder through a sharp corner. Van Alphen described this move as "not entirely clean," but how does Vas herself view that moment?
"Frustration with Aniek? That’s racing. You saw on TV that it was a corner where we rode side by side. Inge was there, Aniek was riding in the middle. It was a normal fight for a corner. That happens in the sport. It’s unfortunate for Inge. No one wanted to brake, but that’s just how it is."
Vas then looked back on the finale and the moment when Amandine Fouquenet broke away. "There was a moment of hesitation. I saw Inge coming, so I thought she was going to attack. But she stopped as soon as she took the lead. That was a very strange moment. Then I said: I’m not going to do anything either, because I’m also at my limit. That’s all there was to it."
Reset
Afterwards, Vas was mainly happy with her second place in Heusden-Zolder. For the SD Worx-Protime rider, it’s a very welcome boost, because in the first cross weeks, Vas didn’t perform well at all.
photo: Fotopersbureau Cor Vos
"I’m super happy. After my wedding party, it was a difficult period around the Koppenbergcross. The preparation was not the best. We then decided to skip a few weekends and prepare properly. That has paid off, as we can see it now."
Telenet Superprestige Heusden-Zolder| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51:03 | |
| 2 | + 08 | |
| 3 | + 09 | |
| 4 | + 14 | |
| 5 | + 32 | |
| 6 | + 45 | |
| 7 | + 01:12 | |
| 8 | + 01:46 | |
| 9 | + 01:50 | |
| 10 | + 01:51 |
