Joris Nieuwenhuis won his second cyclocross race of the season on Sunday in Lokeren. At the Rapencross, he defeated Michael Vanthourenhout and took the lead in the X2O Badkamers Trofee. Something he hadn’t thought possible just a day earlier.
Nieuwenhuis finished eighth in the Koppenbergcross, losing 2 minutes and 38 seconds to Nys, but in Lokeren he made up a whopping 3 minutes and 37 seconds. "I had so many doubts yesterday because losing three minutes seemed a lot. My goal this year is to win a classification, so I’m glad to be 'back' again. This victory feels even better than the one in Heerde because this is a stage race."
In the race, Nieuwenhuis felt comfortable on Sunday. Although it took a while before the Dutchman appeared at the front, he struck in the second half of the race. "You can see today that this course suits me better than the Koppenbergcross. After the start, I noticed I was held back a bit since I started from the second row. When I got to the front, I saw Michael make a mistake. That’s when I broke away."
Looking ahead to the European Championships, Nieuwenhuis says the win gives him a boost in confidence, speaking to the WielerFlits camera. "Yesterday you start to doubt a bit when you see guys riding away by minutes. So I’m happy I was able to turn it around. This helps with confidence. I’ve really been training a lot on the sand in Middelkerke, so I hope that pays off."
