3 out of 3 for in form Vanthourenhout who wins the first Superprestige cyclocross in Overijse

After a few preparatory races, it was time for the first points-scoring race in Overijse. The Superprestige kicked off with the “mother of all races.” After missing Saturday’s race in Heerde, Michael Vanthourenhout—the man in top form—was back in action. But with Cameron Mason, Joran Wyseure, Niels Vandeputte, Felipe Orts, and Gerben Kuypers, the starting lineup was impressively deep.

It was that last Kuypers who took control right from the start. The Belgian from Pauwels Sauzen - Altez took the lead and was joined by the rocket-fast Mason, as well as Swiss champion Kevin Kühn. Witse Meeussen and Mees Hendrikx also joined the group. Vandeputte, Orts, and Vanthourenhout—the men in top form—had to come from a bit further back.

In the second lap, the top favorites caught up from the front, creating a sizeable leading group. Mason literally fell behind after a slip, but quickly returned to the front. Meanwhile, Vanthourenhout had taken the lead, and the pace picked up a bit. This meant that Kühn, Meeussen, Wyseure, and Kuypers had a small gap on Vandeputte and Mason. Behind them, the gap was already widening.

Mason and Vandeputte managed to close the gap, and later on, Victor Van de Putte and Orts joined them as well. The front-runners were neck and neck halfway through the race. Kuypers then launched a full-out attack, and Wyseure responded. But the leader was too reckless and took a hard fall on the descent. Wyseure couldn’t avoid him and went down as well. Suddenly, it was a completely different race.

A leading group of five formed, with Vanthourenhout in the lead, followed by Meeussen, Vandeputte, Mason, and Kühn. Orts was still in the mix, but was always struggling to keep up—especially when Vanthourenhout picked up the pace. The tenacious Kühn fought back, and Vandeputte responded as well. That pair had to close a small gap on the former European champion. With two laps to go, he held a lead of a handful of seconds.

The fact that Mason and Meeussen rejoined the two pursuers spoke volumes. Vanthourenhout was clearly the best in the final stretch and quickly pulled away. By the time the bell rang, his lead over the pursuers was a whopping 27 seconds. His victory was never in doubt. Second place went, surprisingly, to Meeussen, ahead of Vandeputte.

1. Michael Vanthourenhout
2. Witse Meeussen + 0.15
3. Niels Vandeputte + 0.17
4. Cameron Mason + 0.20
5. Kevin Kühn + 0.29