Laurens Sweeck won his first World Cup Cyclo-Cross race on Sunday in Massmechelen, Belgium, distancing European champion Lars Van Der Haar, who finished second, and current World Cup leader, Eli Iserbyt, who was third.
Against the backdrop of the colossal towers leftover from Maasmechelen’s coal mining days, Sweeck applied old school methods and put the hammer down on his rivals right from the start. Whether it was the brute surroundings that inspired him or the realization that he needed new tactics, it was clear that Sweeck was taking a more blunt and direct approach in round four of the World Cup.
Rarely giving up his lead position during the race, Sweeck was able to force Iserbyt and his teammate Michael Vanthourenhout to waste energy chasing him down and to run corners faster than they should have. Eventually, fatigue caught up with Iserbyt and his luck ran out. In an attempt to take control, Iserbyt pushed too hard on a downhill section and slid out, giving Sweeck the perfect opportunity to power away.
By the last lap Sweeck had a lead of 30 seconds before a puncture forced him to make a quick bike change. While he lost some time, it wasn’t enough to cause concern, and by the time Sweeck hit the finish line he still had 13 seconds on Van Der Haar and 20 seconds on Iserbyt.
On the podium, the cherubic Sweeck beamed, clearly enjoying his first World Cup victory with his son beside him. And while runner-ups Van Der Haar and Iserbyt seemed satisfied enough, smiling and grinning for the cameras, post-race interviews later revealed that both had issues with the safety of the race course and whether it was up to World Cup standards. Iserbyt in particular was bothered by the course design, going as as far to suggest that he might not participate in any races in Maasmechelen in the future.
In the Women’s Elite race, Fem van Empel had to fend off some attacks from her main rival Puck Pieterse, but in the end she made it look too easy and sailed home to score her fourth straight World Cup victory ahead of Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij.
Coming up: Koppenberg Cross (Nov. 1) European Cyclo-X Championships (Nov. 4-6)
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