Michael Vanthourenhout still in contention for Superprestige overall win after comeback race

With the Diegem evening cyclocross, six rounds of the Superprestige have now been contested, but everything is still possible in the fight for the overall victory. Among the women, Aniek van Alphen scored very well, while Michael Vanthourenhout still has hopes of winning after a strong comeback race. WielerFlits outlines the differences.

The races in Diegem were full of incidents and plot twists. Inge van der Heijden was still leading the Superprestige standings before the Diegem evening cyclocross, but the chances of the European champion have seriously diminished after this race. The Dutch rider crashed at the start and was too injured to continue.

For the European champion, it is a very tough blow, as she was still fully in contention for the overall Superprestige victory. Before the Diegem race, Van der Heijden led with 62 points, tied with Aniek van Alphen. The latter did not have her best day of the season in Diegem but still finished seventh and now leads the Superprestige standings by nine points.

In the women's race, we saw a crash from Inge van der Heijden in the first corner, but in the elite men's race, unfortunately, chaos was also dominant. Just after the start shot, Michael Vanthourenhout unclipped his pedal unexpectedly and got to know the asphalt in a very unpleasant way.

Strong Vanthourenhout saves the day
Vanthourenhout, unlike Van der Heijden, was able to finish his race but faced a huge chase. For the Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw leader, it was also a significant setback, as he was still in contention for the Superprestige overall win. Before the Diegem race, he was second in the standings, just one point behind leader Niels Vandeputte.

The 32-year-old Vanthourenhout had a remarkable day in Diegem, overtaking rider after rider during his pursuit and crossing the line in sixth place, just one spot behind his main rival Vandeputte, which narrowed the gap in the overall standings to only 2 points. With the upcoming rounds in Gullegem (3/01) and Middelkerke (7/02), there are still many scenarios to consider.