Niels Vandeputte beats Michael Vanthourenhout after thrilling final lap at Superprestige Gullegem

Nieuwenhuis immediately showed his ambition. The Dutchman took off after a great start and was the first to enter the field. Vandeputte, the leader in the Superprestige standings, also had a strong start and took the lead from Nieuwenhuis after a few minutes of racing. Led by the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider, five riders broke slightly away after one lap. Besides Vandeputte, Wyseure, Vanthourenhout, and Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Kuhn was also among the front group. The gaps remained minimal, however, and a large pack of riders soon caught back up, including Orts.

Kuypers shakes things up
In the second of eight laps, Nieuwenhuis increased the pace again, with Gerben Kuypers on his wheel. The West Flemish rider, racing for Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw since January 1st, led the group at the next passage. He was at the front with a quartet consisting of his teammate Vanthourenhout, Wyseure, and Nieuwenhuis. At the start of the third lap, Vandeputte and Jente Michels joined, while Orts waited in the wings, but soon the group of seven would split once more. It was Kuypers who stirred things up.

Kuypers — who had already won the GP Garage Collé Pétange (C2) in Luxembourg on New Year’s Day — eventually opened a nice gap on his own. Vandeputte then took up the chase at the front of the chasers. It took a while, but by the end of lap four, he rejoined Kuypers along with Vanthourenhout and Wyseure. Shortly after, Nieuwenhuis also bridged back. We began the second part of the race — now in the snow — with four riders.

Exciting until the final lap
The recently returned Nieuwenhuis immediately took the initiative again in lap five. One lap later, Vanthourenhout began to push hard. The Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw rider managed to create a gap together with Wyseure and Nieuwenhuis, distancing themselves from Vandeputte and Kuypers. Nieuwenhuis dropped back briefly after a slip but soon rejoined. While Vandeputte also came back, Kuypers lost some more ground following a slide. Entering the penultimate lap, he trailed the leading group by seven seconds.

In that penultimate lap, Vanthourenhout kept the pressure on the others. Gaps started to form, but when the bell rang, the differences were still small. Vanthourenhout crossed the line first with a few meters over Vandeputte, who in turn held a margin on Wyseure. Nieuwenhuis had already lost more time, and Kuypers seemed completely spent.

Vandeputte strikes
Vandeputte, Wyseure, and even Nieuwenhuis caught back up with Vanthourenhout, but the latter refused to give up the lead. Vandeputte managed to pass him a few minutes before the finish, after which Vanthourenhout briefly retook the lead. However, it was Vandeputte who went back to the front. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider immediately opened a significant gap and secured the victory.

Vanthourenhout was clearly exhausted, but still managed to finish second. He thus lost one point to Vandeputte in the Superprestige standings. The difference between the two rivals is now three points, with only the Noordzeecross in Middelkerke remaining on the calendar.