Laurens Sweeck races with glory to victory: "But it shouldn't have lasted much longer"

It was impressive to see how smoothly and almost flawlessly Sweeck moved over the many muddy and wet obstacles in Niel, especially in the sandbox. "Yes, I think I made pretty good turns, which helped me. Well, it is allowed to work out well for me," the Belgian said in the flash interview.

But it was more than just working out well. Sweeck was simply the fastest across the course, every lap. "I didn't put pressure initially," Sweeck explained calmly. "I tried more than anything to find a good rhythm and take the obstacles nicely. That succeeded pretty well. But I didn't expect to ride alone in the lead from the beginning to the end."

Felipe Orts seemed to have some wings in the final lap. The Spaniard flew over the course. Yet Sweeck remained calm: "I didn't hesitate, but it shouldn't have lasted much longer. It was tough, I got tired, and the rain made the course treacherous. In the last laps, some mistakes crept in, so it was good that it was the last lap," laughed the cyclo-cross rider.

With this victory, Sweeck takes his third win in five years in Niel. You could almost say that the Jaarmarktcross and he were made for each other. "Whether we are a good combination, I don't know. This is usually just a period in the season when I'm good."

Also, on Sunday, Sweeck was in top shape in Lokeren. For example, he impressed in the sandbox, cycling over it as if it were asphalt. He and Thibau Nys managed to get away from the rest and had a nice duel. It is a duel with consequences for Sweeck because he ends up exhausting himself completely. Ultimately, he was 32 seconds behind Nys in sixth place, utterly worn out. "Sunday I suffered and today (Monday) too, but it all went just a bit better," he concluded.