After a prolonged duel with Joris Nieuwenhuis, Eli Iserbyt ultimately secured victory in the Jaarmarktcross in Niel, a race that is part of the Superprestige series. Nieuwenhuis seemed poised for victory for a considerable duration but had to settle for the silver medal. Felipe Orts surprisingly rounded out the podium, while Lars van der Haar, Thibau Nys, and Michael Vanthourenhout experienced an off-day.
In Flanders, heavy rainfall in recent days resulted in a true spectacle of mud in the women's race. A similar challenging course was anticipated for the men's competition. However, the male participants expressed criticism of the track in Niel, a town near Antwerp. "I really wouldn't know where to ride or walk. It's genuinely hoping you don't break anything here. You can't take any corners here with confidence," shared Lars van der Haar before the cross. So, that promised...
The Baloise Trek Lions men made an impressive start. Van der Haar, Thibau Nys, and Joris Nieuwenhuis had an exceptionally strong beginning, navigating the initial muddy sections in that order. However, on the washboard, the 20-year-old son of Sven Nys (who celebrates his 21st birthday on November 12) made a few mistakes and had to rely on the pursuit. Nys quickly dropped from second place to approximately tenth. Van der Haar and Nieuwenhuis continued the chase, although the 'Terrier from Woudenberg' crashed not much later. He too had to recover. It was particularly Nieuwenhuis who made a significant impact with a strong opening phase.
Critical Van der Haar starts well, literally falls back, and then experiences an unlucky day: to make matters worse, his shoulder is dislocated
Nieuwenhuis held the lead for a lap and a half, with Eli Iserbyt of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal closely trailing. Soon, these two riders established themselves as the front-runners, while Laurens Sweeck took up the chase about ten seconds behind as the sole pursuer. Felipe Orts and Gerben Kuypers were also in the mix.
Midway through the race, it became evident that several top contenders or dark horses were experiencing an off day or facing bad luck. Nys remained distant from the front of the race, trailing for almost the entire day. The same fate befell 'home rider' Cameron Mason (who resides in Boom), European Championship rider Michael Vanthourenhout, and Van der Haar. The latter also encountered a familiar issue. At one point, the rider from Utrecht had to lift his bike, during which his shoulder appeared to dislocate. However, true to form, Van der Haar skilfully reinserted it himself. Despite his criticism of the course, the amiable veteran was just shy of a podium position.
Read more below the video!
Iserbyt and Nieuwenhuis engage a delightful duel, with Belgian coming out on top after mistake by Dutchman
At the front, Nieuwenhuis and Iserbyt appeared to be evenly matched, while Sweeck consistently trailed by about ten seconds. However, the Belgian from Corelan-Corendon was caught by Orts, creating a 'two leaders and two chasers' scenario. Both Nieuwenhuis and Iserbyt took turns at the front, making occasional mistakes. At times, the Dutchman from Baloise Trek Lions applied pressure, and a few minutes later, the Fleming from Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal took the lead. For television viewers and fans on the spot, it was undoubtedly a brilliant spectacle.
Who emerged victorious in the Jaarmarktcross? The Belgian and the Dutchman were clearly evenly matched. On the running sections, the twenty-centimeter taller Nieuwenhuis proved to be the superior rider, while on other segments, Iserbyt seemed to have a bit more strength. Meanwhile, thirty seconds behind the Belgian-Dutch duo, Orts had successfully distanced himself from Sweeck, who appeared to have made a mistake.
As they entered the final lap, Nieuwenhuis and Iserbyt were still neck and neck, except for the fact that Nieuwenhuis seemed to make a crucial error at the beginning of the last lap, near the equipment post. Iserbyt naturally seized the opportunity and quickly gained a gap of about ten seconds on the talented Dutchman. The 25-year-old multiple winner maintained his lead and skillfully soloed to victory. Nieuwenhuis had to settle for second place, while Orts finished a respectable third. Three nationalities on the cross-country podium, a sight we hadn't seen in a while!
Results Superprestige Niel 2023 - men
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