🚵🇳🇱 | Tijd voor een uur crossplezier bij de mannen onder begeleidend commentaar van @JeroenVanbelle en @Amerongentv! We zijn gestart in Hulst. #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
Vandeputte solos to his first World Cup victory in Hulst, Pim Ronhaar takes third place
CyclingSaturday, 21 December 2024 at 16:37
It was wet and rainy in Hulst in the Netherlands. After the women had already completed their race, the course became even more slippery and treacherous for the men. The race came down to technique and raw power, and Vandeputte proved to be the best of all. Like Schreiber earlier in the day, he managed to lead from start to finish. However, the men’s race was much closer, with a strong chase by Felipe Orts. The Spaniard closed the gap in the final laps but couldn’t quite bridge it. Meanwhile, the battle for third place between Pim Ronhaar and Eli Iserbyt was won by the Dutchman.
Vandeputte and Lars van der Haar blasted off the starting line and were the first to hit the field. This proved crucial on the technical course, where mistakes were quickly punished. Riders who found themselves further back faced inevitable delays. This also happened to Toon Aerts, who crashed early on and never made it back to the front.
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Vandeputte mirrors Schreiber’s earlier performance
Vandeputte opened the first lap with a furious pace, much like Schreiber had done earlier in the day. While others struggled with slips and slides, the Belgian rode an impressive, nearly flawless first lap. By the end of it, the 22-year-old had built a four-second lead over his closest chasers, Lars van der Haar and Michael Vanthourenhout, with Eli Iserbyt close behind. Another group including Ronhaar, Orts, Thibau Nys, and Emiel Verstrynge was riding a little further back.
In the second lap, Vanthourenhout crashed while in second place on the steep, well-known descent. His fall created a chasing group of five riders: Orts, Vanthourenhout, Iserbyt, Nys, and Van der Haar. Meanwhile, the course kept getting more challenging, as the mud made the terrain more slippery and technical. You know what that means... More crashes. In the third lap, Vanthourenhout went down again on the same descent, while the other riders managed to stay upright. Nys was forced to drop back and later crashed as well.
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Battle for 🥉 between Iserbyt and Ronhaar ⬇️ They are trading places while Orts 🇪🇸 is looking good and safe in second. Ready to capitalise on any mistakes made by Vandeputte out in front... #CXWorldCup #FLCS
Riders drop like flies due to brutal conditions
The grueling conditions seemed to favor Orts, who quietly pulled away from the other chasers. At the front, Vandeputte continued to build his lead, avoiding major mistakes and crashes. By the third lap, his advantage had grown to half a minute.
At the end of the fourth lap, Orts and Iserbyt managed to slightly reduce Vandeputte’s lead to 24 seconds. Behind them, Verstrynge and Ronhaar were pushing hard in hopes of closing the gap to the podium spots. Vanthourenhout, meanwhile, dropped out of contention after another crash.
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🚵🇳🇱 | Het is de mooiste overwinning in de loopbaan van Niels Vandeputte. Hij wint de cross in Hulst. #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
Exciting battles for the win and third place
The penultimate lap saw the tension rise significantly. Orts cut Vandeputte’s lead to just 14 seconds and managed to drop Iserbyt. Ronhaar caught up with Verstrynge as they both chased a podium finish.
Heading into the final lap, the gap between Vandeputte and Orts had narrowed to just 13 seconds. The Spaniard continued to close in but needed a mistake from Vandeputte to have a real shot at the win. That mistake never came. Vandeputte rode a flawless final lap and crossed the finish line in style, popping a wheelie after an incredible solo effort. What a victory for the Belgian! In the battle for third placce, Ronhaar proved too strong for Iserbyt in the final lap. He secured a well-deserved podium finish behind Vandeputte and Orts.
Results Cyclo-cross World Cup - men 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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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