"Eli's mistake also slowed down Toon"; Vanthourenhout thought it was already lost in Dublin

Michael Vanthourenhout almost didn't have a chance to compete for the win at the Dublin World Cup cross. But after a ruptured shoe, he returned and was the strongest in an extremely thrilling final lap. He also took over the leader's jersey in the classification from his teammate Eli Iserbyt. "I felt I was the best in the race, but positioning was difficult.

At the beginning of the race, the former European champion of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal hit a pole: in doing so, he damaged the button on top of his shoe. "It was a bit of a panic with the broken shoe," he said after the race.

"I thought the race was over, but my legs were good. The chase went well, so I was quickly back in sixth place. I noticed I could compete for the win." The final lap was chaotic. Vanthourenhout took full advantage of that. "It was challenging to create a gap. I felt I had to make a move in the last lap, and I succeeded. I'm pleased."

He couldn't get the shoe fixed while cycling, so Vanthourenthout had to enter the pit area. "I know it can't be broken; you just have to be able to click it back in. But when your foot is still in it, putting force on that button is hard. So then I sat and thought of the quickest way to do it. I needed a new bike anyway to change shoes fast, so two things in one go. Actually, I had only lost about three or four places, and the legs were good enough for the win."

That he could get back from the front, however, was another stroke of luck. "I actually thought it was over. I knew I was supposed to be in second position, but because of Eli's mistake, Toon Aerts slowed down, and I could take advantage of that situation. I felt like I was the best of the race, but positioning was difficult."

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Vanthourenhout improves: "Now the important thing is to stay in top shape"

The fitness of Iserbyt's teammate is improving all the time: after a podium place in Antwerp, victory in Ireland was a nice reward. "Last weekend was already pretty good, and today, I felt I had picked up a few percent. Now, the important thing is to stay in top shape. Eli told me on the road that I was the best, but it didn't feel that way. It was tough to make a difference."

With the leader's jersey in the World Cup classification on his shoulders, he travels to Sardinia next weekend. "It's a nice bonus. Next week, the World Cup is already back, so it's nice to ride around in Italy with that jersey." Vanthourenhout travels to the island as early as Thursday to train well before the next race.

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