🚵🇳🇱 | Het is de mooiste overwinning in de loopbaan van Niels Vandeputte. Hij wint de cross in Hulst. #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
One day before the return of Van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck can already celebrate: "One of my best days on the bike"
CyclingSaturday, 21 December 2024 at 20:16
While Alpecin-Deceuninck was eagerly awaiting Mathieu van der Poel’s return to cyclo-cross on Sunday in Zonhoven, Belgium, it turns out the team had cause for celebration on Saturday as well. Niels Vandeputte led the race in Hulst, the Netherlands, from start to finish, securing his first-ever Cyclocross World Cup victory in a well-deserved manner. Unsurprisingly, the Belgian rider was more than satisfied with his performance.
Vandeputte seized the lead at the start and held onto it all the way to the finish. Representing Alpecin-Deceuninck, the rider — who had to skip last week’s race in Namur due to illness — delivered an almost flawless technical performance on the challenging course. Felipe Orts from Ridley came within ten seconds of Vandeputte but ultimately couldn’t match his pace.
"Maybe this was one of my best days ever on the bike," Vandeputte said in the flash interview. "Both technically and physically, I felt great on this tricky course. The combination of those two things allowed me to finish the job. I was a bit surprised by Orts. Suddenly, he appeared after I hadn’t seen him the whole time. That caught me off guard, and I made some mistakes because I was nervous, but in the end, I was able to keep the gap," the winner explained.
Read more below the video!
Vandeputte replicates Schreiber’s feat in the women’s race
"This victory is very important for me. I haven’t been able to race much in recent weeks," said Vandeputte, who missed the Dublin race (planned), as well as the ones in Sardinia (canceled) and Namur (illness). "I needed a race with a good feeling to get that confidence ahead of the busy period coming up. To achieve that now with a win gives me a lot of morale."
Vandeputte pulled off a similar feat to SD Worx-Protime rider Marie Schreiber, who also led from start to finish in Hulst. "Funny enough, I said just before the race that I would try to do the same as Schreiber," laughed the Belgian, who traditionally watches the women’s race in his camper as part of his final preparations.
"To actually pull it off… I didn’t expect that," he admitted. "But it’s a very nice way to win my first World Cup. It feels like a cherry on top of the second part of the season, and my earlier win in Hamme was the cherry on top of the first part," concluded the cheerful Vandeputte.
Read also
Il Lombardia 2024
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Victor Campenaerts already knows what his first race for Visma | Lease a Bike will be
Marie Schreiber's winning start explained: From "full throttle from the start" to "staying out of trouble"
Rain and women's race surprise Ronhaar in Hulst: "That might have cost me second place in the end"
Latest Cycling News
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Victor Campenaerts already knows what his first race for Visma | Lease a Bike will be
Marie Schreiber's winning start explained: From "full throttle from the start" to "staying out of trouble"
Rain and women's race surprise Ronhaar in Hulst: "That might have cost me second place in the end"
Popular Cycling News
Pogacar intimidates competition just before Christmas dinner with the most prestigious KOM in the training area
Cycling transfers WorldTour 2025 | Uno-X unwraps Christmas gift from Jayco AlUla: Grøndahl Jansen makes the move
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Cycling kits 2025: Movistar and Jayco AlUla embrace bold new designs, Bardiani revamps with focus on detail
Lance Armstrong refused to speak with Tom Boonen for years: "And I was only 20 years old, you know..."
Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024