Michael Vanthourenhout

Early success and rise in cyclo-cross

Michael Vanthourenhout was born on December 10, 1993, in Bruges into a family deeply rooted in cycling. His older brother, Dieter, and his cousin, Sven, were also professional cyclo-cross riders. It was only natural that Michael would follow in their footsteps and build a reputation in cyclo-cross. In 2013, he claimed his first major victory as an U23 by winning the European Championship, ahead of his peer Mathieu van der Poel.

A few months later, despite an ongoing contract, he transitioned from the Roodhooft brothers' stable to Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, the team he still rides for today. In 2014, he shared the podium with Wout van Aert and Van der Poel at the U23 World Championships in Hoogerheide, and the following year, he became world champion in that category in Tabor, Czech Republic. With this title, Vanthourenhout made the definitive step to the professional ranks.

Vanthourenhout, the championship rider

Vanthourenhout faced tough competition early on from his generation’s stars, Van Aert and Van der Poel, making it difficult to establish himself as a frequent winner. However, as these top competitors increasingly focused on road racing, Vanthourenhout began to make his mark in cyclo-cross. In 2018, he took silver at the World Championships and claimed his first World Cup victory in Tábor in 2020. A year later, he won the Namur cyclo-cross in the same series.

In November 2022, Vanthourenhout achieved his biggest victory to date by winning the European Championship in Namur. A few months later, he also claimed the Belgian national championship title. In 2023, he further cemented his status as a championship rider by successfully defending his European title in Pontchâteau, France.