European cyclocross champion Michael Vanthourenhout won Kermiscross in Ardooie on Thursday, riding three seconds ahead of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Eli Iserbyt.
Witse Meeussen (Crelan-Corendon) confirmed a Belgian sweep of the podium riding 10 seconds back for third. The reigning U23 Belgian champion avoided technical issues after last week suffering three punctures at Exact Cross Beringen, to earn his first elite podium.
Vanthourenhout, who was second in Beringen in his opening cyclocross race of the year, escaped at the front of the race with his teammate and Meeussen on the final lap, creating a gap to the duo on the final turns.
"I chose to pace myself and only give it my all at the end. It quickly became clear that Iserbyt and myself were just a little bit better, so we had to wait until the right moment to accelerate. We did that just before the start of the final lap," he told Het Nieuwsblad.
"After the bell, I changed bikes, one with a slightly higher tyre pressure in case it would come to a sprint, but above all because I could take a little more risk in the corners compared to the others. That turned out to be a very good move," said Vanthourenhout.
The podium trio were part of a lead group of nine riders mid-way through the race, which whittled away until the final lap, mainly due to the hard pace set by the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal pair.
Iserbyt recovered from his disqualification a week ago in Beringen, where he reacted to former teammate Ryan Kamp after a crash and stomped on his bike. The Belgian elite men's champion said he had "a few difficult days" afterwards, but that the crowd at the race Wednesday was "respectful" and he was able to focus on the job at hand.
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