🚵🇧🇪 | De Citadelcross in Namen is een hele lastige en dat ondervinden de mannen ook dit jaar weer. Corné van Kessel zit even vast in de boarding. #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
What a spectacle: Aerts crashes in winning position, Vanthourenhout secures victory in Namur
Cyclo-crossSunday, 15 December 2024 at 18:11
Michael Vanthourenhout secured a spectacular win in the World Cup at the Citadel of Namen. The Belgian was the best after a ferocious battle in the final lap with Toon Aerts, who crashed while being in the winning position.
Almost everyone was at the start around the Citadel of Namur. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were still absent, and at the last minute, Niels Vandeputte also canceled. All other familiar names, including Thibau Nys, were at the start. So everyone was on edge at that start, knowing that an exhilarating first lap would follow.
Aerts took the lead, ahead of the always well-positioned Kevin Kuhn and Gerben Kuypers. In the background, some people tangled with each other, leaving Tibor Del Grosso and Jente Michels, among others, at a distance. Obviously, nobody waited for them to return, especially Aerts. He saw that men like Nys, Pim Ronhaar, and Vanthourenhout were further away and decided to increase the pace.
Read more below the photo!
Iserbyt leaves race by back door
Thibau Nys, Eli Iserbyt, and Lars van der Haar also didn't have a great start, with Iserbyt being caught on camera shaking. This created a rather unusual situation, with many big names having to make up time on and around the Citadel. The crash of Aerts made things even more complicated, so the virtual podium consisted of Kuhn, Kuypers, and Emiel Verstrynge.
From the background, Vanthourenhout advanced on the third lap, while teammate Iserbyt - already complaining of nerve pain on Saturday - left the race in pain. Meanwhile, crashes followed in quick succession on the tricky course in Namur, with Ronhaar and Felipe Orts, among others, sliding through the mud.
At the front, Vanthourenhout, Kuypers, and Verstrynge were the only ones left, while Ronhaar and Aerts also had ambitions. Kuypers had to give up his spot to Aerts, who, like Vanthourenhout, was pressured by the surprisingly strong Verstrynge. The young Belgian only rode his first cyclo-cross in a little over a month after a muscle tear sidelined him for quite some time.
Vanthourenhout had a tough job with the Crelan-Corendon rider, but Aerts could also join the other two on the second-to-last lap. So we entered the final lap with three, where Verstrynge immediately accelerated brutally. Aerts countered and created a gap of about five seconds to Vanthourenhout. Verstrynge, meanwhile, was eliminated by a crash.
On the sloping side, the same thing happened to Aerts, but Vanthourenhout still managed to take the lead. With that, the Belgian secured his third win in a row.
Results World Cup cyclocross Namur - men 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- 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
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024