The Exact Cross Essen was won by Toon Vandebosch. The rider from Crelan-Corendon seemed out of the running for victory in the final phase, but an incident between Laurens Sweeck and Niels Vandeputte allowed him to sprint to the win.
The start list for Essen may not have included all the top riders, but the second Exact Cross of the season certainly held its own. The winner from a year earlier, Laurens Sweeck, was back again. He had to take on, among others, Niels Vandeputte and Toon Vandebosch.
Long wait
Cameron Mason was also in the field and took off like a cannonball. The British champion immediately opened a gap and after the first lap already had a ten-second lead over the first chasers. At the second passage, Mason was again alone, but the gap had shrunk significantly. Sweeck, Vandeputte, Vandebosch, Victor Van de Putte, and Wout Janssen had reduced their deficit to three to six seconds. They would close in during the third of eleven laps.
The situation then remained unchanged for a long time. Kevin Suarez Fernandez tried to get back, but stayed a few seconds behind. In lap nine—after Sweeck made his first serious attempt to break away—the Spaniard was finally able to latch on.
Crash Vandeputte, Sweeck puncture
In the penultimate lap, Mason pushed hard again. The Brit had a small gap entering the final lap, but couldn’t sustain his effort. The pace eased a bit and the group came back together. Van de Putte then took the lead, but in the last minutes his almost-namesake Vandeputte passed him. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider tried to keep opponents at bay by maintaining a high tempo.
However, Sweeck wanted to pass and overtook Vandeputte just before a corner, causing Vandeputte to crash. Sweeck now held the lead but suffered a flat tire himself. This allowed 'third dog' Toon Vandebosch to take the victory. Victor Van de Putte finished second, Niels Vandeputte third.
🚵🇧🇪 | What a chaotic finale in Essen! Sweeck with a dangerous overtaking move causing Vandeputte to fall. Vandebosch capitalizes perfectly and wins! #ExactCross
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— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) October 18, 2025
Exact Cross - Essen| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:04:00 | |
| 2 | + 01 | |
| 3 | " | |
| 4 | + 02 | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | + 04 | |
| 7 | + 43 | |
| 8 | + 01:03 | |
| 9 | + 01:05 | |
| 10 | + 01:09 |
