First World Cup victory of the season for Michael Vanthourenhout

The sting was in the tail of the third round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. After an incredibly tense final lap, Michael Vanthourenhout eventually came out on top, taking his first World Cup victory of the season.

Sardinia is usually associated with sun, sea and beaches, but in Terralba the riders were served something entirely different. Due to rainfall earlier in the week and the women’s race earlier in the day, the course was muddy and treacherous at the start of the men's race.

On the flat course, no fewer than eleven riders stayed together for an unusually long time. As the race progressed, a few riders showed they had the strongest legs: Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team), Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen – Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team), Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) and Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon). It quickly became clear that the battle for the day’s victory would be fought among them, although making a difference on the Italian course was anything but easy.

In the final lap, we witnessed a thriller worthy of Hitchcock. At every corner, Sweeck, Nieuwenhuis and Vanthourenhout fought for the lead. Ultimately, the latter played it smartest: in the final muddy stretch he took the lead again and never gave it up. After a strong start to the season, Vanthourenhout went through a slight dip, but with this impressive victory in Sardinia, he looks completely back on form.