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Follow us on GoogleIt 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.
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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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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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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
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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