Cyclingflash
Niels Vandeputte wins again in Waaslandcross after dramatic final meters

Niels Vandeputte wins again in Waaslandcross after dramatic final meters

Niels Vandeputte won the Waaslandcross in Sint-Niklaas in dramatic fashion. It was only in the final meters that the 25-year-old Belgian managed to catch attacker Michael Vanthourenhout. 

After the victory of world champion Lucinda Brand in the women's race, the Waaslandcross continued with the men's competition. Standouts at the start included riders like Niels Vandeputte, Joran Wyseure, and Michael Vanthourenhout.

In the opening laps of the race, we saw a familiar scene for this season: a large group stayed together for a long time. Among the leaders were Vanthourenhout, Vandeputte, Wyseure, Ryan Kamp, Victor Van de Putte, Jente Michels, Kevin Kuhn, and Gerben Kuypers.

The first serious attack came from Kuypers, who is having a strong end to the season. The rider from Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw managed to stay ahead of the chasers for several laps, but was reeled back in toward the finale.

Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw executes a perfect race but comes away empty-handed
Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw then played the race perfectly, as Vanthourenhout soon decided to test his luck. The Belgian seemed on course for victory, as with one lap to go, Vanthourenhout still held about a ten-second gap over nearest chasers Vandeputte and Kuypers.

The final lap became incredibly tense. Vandeputte closed in on Vanthourenhout second by second, but the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider seemed to arrive too late. With 400 meters left, Vanthourenhout still maintained a two- to three-second lead over his rival.

With an ultimate sprint, Vandeputte managed to pass Vanthourenhout in the last meters, securing the 25-year-old Belgian his third win in four cyclocross races. Vanthourenhout collapsed exhausted to the ground after the finish: he had to settle for second place on Saturday.