The rider to benefit the most from the two mishaps was Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal) who broke away from a lead group of six riders in the thrilling final lap of the 8-lap race to win the fifth World Cup race of his career. Toon Aerts (Team Deschacht-Hens-FSP) and Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) finished second and third respectively.
Vanthourenout took charge of the race not long after his teammate Eli Iserbyt, the defending World Cup champion, who had been riding like the winner at the front of the lead group, took a technical curve toofast and was unseated. He remounted quickly but had lost his momentum, ultimately finishing fourth.
Vanthourenhout thought his race was over when he broke his shoe on lap 3 and had trouble repairing the damage as he rode. “It was a bit of a panic with the broken shoe,” he said after the race . “I thought the race was over but my legs were good. The chase went well, so I was quickly back in sixth place. I realised that I could compete for the win.”
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Vanthourenhout’s chances for victory and those of other riders got a boost when European champion Thibaud Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) crashed hard at the barriers moments after the start. Czech rider Michael Boroš (Elkov-Kasper) had taken the early lead and was the first to go down, with Orts also hitting the ground on his heels. The chaos apparently unsettled […]
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