Vanthourenhout shines in Noordzeecross Middelkerke, Vandeputte wins Superprestige
The Noordzeecross in Middelkerke was won by Michael Vanthourenhout. The rider from Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw led for a long time together with his teammate Gerben Kuypers, but the latter suffered a puncture in the penultimate lap. Ultimately, second place went to Niels Vandeputte, who thus secured the overall victory in the Superprestige. Kuypers finished third in the day's results.
The final round of the Superprestige season took place in Middelkerke. Cross fans could expect an exciting battle between classification leader Niels Vandeputte and his closest challenger Michael Vanthourenhout. They started the finale of the points competition with 91 and 88 points respectively. Riders like Joris Nieuwenhuis and Felipe Orts were no longer in contention for the overall win but could still claim a prestigious stage victory.
Nieuwenhuis breaks away, but falls back
The best start went to Mees Hendrikx and Kevin Kuhn, but soon Joris Nieuwenhuis took the lead. The Dutchman came through after one lap with a gap. Gerben Kuypers and Cameron Mason followed four seconds behind, with the rest already further back. Orts, Vanthourenhout, and Vandeputte were grouped around tenth place at nearly twenty seconds. They seemed determined not to lose sight of each other.
In the second of nine laps, local rider Kuypers joined Nieuwenhuis. Behind them, there were also developments. While Vandeputte was reeling in the group, his rival Vanthourenhout launched an attack. He caught up to Nieuwenhuis, who had to let Kuypers go. Then Vanthourenhout blasted toward his teammate Kuypers. Meanwhile, Vandeputte was in fifth place but quickly moved up to third. For now, his leadership in the standings was not at risk.
Vanthourenhout takes the stage win, Vandeputte the overall victory
In the following laps, there were few changes in positions. Vanthourenhout caught Kuypers, while Vandeputte solidified third place. It wasn’t until the penultimate lap that a crucial moment occurred. Kuypers suffered a puncture, allowing Vanthourenhout to pull away. At the finish line, Kuypers was nine seconds behind. Vandeputte followed seventeen seconds behind Vanthourenhout.
In the final lap, Vandeputte managed to catch up to Kuypers, but bridging the gap to Vanthourenhout proved too much. The 32-year-old rider thus won his fourth TV cross of this winter. Vandeputte finished second and, just like last year, claimed the overall Superprestige title. Kuypers also stood on the podium, finishing third in the day’s classification.
