A dramatic start and exhilarating battle! Joran Wyseure achieves first pro victory in Ruddervoorde

The Superprestige, a prestigious cyclocross classification, began Sunday in Ruddervoorde, Belgium. The course was specially tailored to explosive cyclists, with the necessary turns and four short climbs. It also had a sand section and some obstacles. The defending champion, Eli Iserbyt, was absent due to his suspension. It was a hard blow for the Belgian, as he will have to miss the first two heats of the Superprestige. Last year, he won the classification.

The cross began horribly. Kamp slipped out of his click pedal at the start, in the middle of the group, and crashed into the asphalt. Many other cross-riders also went down because of the crash. Kamp looked badly battered and eventually left the course with some help. It was another setback. Last week, in the cross of Beringen, Eli Iserbyt kicked Kamp's bike out of anger.

After the turbulent start, we found Niels Vandeputte and Joran Wyseure in the lead. Michael Vanthourenhout and Kevin Kuhn also came to the front moments later. Wyseure, however, had a taste for it and went on another adventure. He rode solo in the lead for a while, but Vanthourenhout brought him back.

In the end, we found six men at the front. Besides Vanthourenhout and Wyseure, they were Van de Putte, Gerben Kuypers, Van der Haar, and Laurens Sweeck. Thibau Nys followed not too far behind. The young cross rider had a disrupted preparation for the cross season and is still looking for his top level. That was evident because, after a short advance, he had to pay for it quickly, after which he moved to a position near the top ten.

At the front, Kuypers made the biggest impression. With a powerful pace, he put enormous pressure on Van der Haar, Van de Putte, and Wyseure. That trio even had to leave a gap. Only Vanthourenhout was close behind. Eventually, the four got back together. They looked at each other a lot, which Wyseure took advantage of. He attacked and was able to take a nice lead due to the hesitation of the others.

Vanthourenhout was annoyed by Van der Haar, Van de Putte, and Kuypers's lack of help and finally went hunting for Wyseure himself. Kuypers and Van De Putte were initially unable to follow. However, the latter recovered and jumped towards Vanthourenhout. Van der Haar was further behind, partly because he didn't look good on the obstacles.

Wyseure started the final lap with a lead but crashed shortly after crossing the finish line. He got back up quickly but lost the advantage. The difference was less than ten seconds; it was exciting until the end. Van De Putte passed Vanthourenhout with a strong run over the sand and came to within five seconds of Wyseure. The advance Van de Putte came too late. However, Wyseure won beautifully for the first time as a pro.