(Michael Vanthourenhout at the EU Cyclo-Cross Championships, November 2022.)
Michael Vanthourenhout held off a fast-charging Tom Pidcock to win Round #6 of the UCI World Cup Cyclo-Cross in Overijse, Belgium on Sunday. Rounding out the podium in third spot was Lars van der Haar.
How It Happened
From the start, it was clear that World Cup series leader Eli Iserbyt and his teammate Michael Vanthourenhout had plan when they went to the front and set a fast temp. Working together, the carved out a lead of 11 seconds by the end of the first lap, leaving behind Lars van der Haar, Laurens Sweeck, and World Champion Tom Pidcock, who suffered a mechanical problem in the first 100 meters.
Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout continued to keep the pace high in lap 2, successfully distancing their rivals, except for one, Pidcock, who was quickly reducing the gap.
As the the end of lap 2 approached, Pidcock made contact with the leaders. Now a trio, Pidcock took a moment to recover, then went immediately to the front with Vanthourenhout on his wheel and upped the pace. Iserbyt, in third position, quickly lost contact, while Vanthourenhout struggled to hang on.
Pidcock kept up his effort in lap 3, and by the start of lap 4, he had a gap of 3 seconds on Vanthourenhout and a gap of 14 seconds on Iserbyt. Halfway through lap 4, Pidcock slowed and the situation reversed itself as Vanthourenhout caught Pidcock and retook the lead.
With 5 laps to go, Pidcock and Vanthourenhout appeared evenly matched in their skills and ability to navigate the slick muddy conditions. But Vanthourenhout seemed the fresher of the two and was able to open a gap of 3 seconds on a long sloping climb. This gap was short-lived when Vanthourenhout made an error and slid out on an off-camber section.
Entering lap 6, Pidcock led and pushed the pace. Eventually he was able to gap Vanthourenhout on an uphill section and gain a few seconds. Maintaining his pace, Pidcock entered the descent with an advantage, but lost it when he slid out at the bottom on the cobbles and fell.
Once again, the lead changed back to Vanthourenhout, who immediately found himself with an 11 second gap as Pidcock picked himself up and remounted. This gap grew to 13 seconds until Pidcock regained his rhythm.
As the bell lap approached, the gap to Vanthourenhout shrunk, and by the time Pidcock hit the line he was only 8 seconds behind. A half lap later, Pidcock had brought the gap down to 6 seconds.
With a half lap remaining, Pidcock was just mere seconds behind Vanthourenhout, and the crowd was going wild. Digging deep, Vanthourenhout gave everything he had in the final section and was able to hold off Pidcock by 3 seconds for the win.
At the finish, the European Champion was visibly exhausted but thrilled. Asked if this was his best win yet, Vanthourenhout replied, “Yeah, I think even better than the European championship.”
Race Insights
Wet weather and slick conditions made round #6 a very different race from the previous World Cup events. Several riders downplayed their chances before the race, saying that the course was not ideal for them, or that their fitness was not quite where it needed to be. Much of the race appeared to be an exercise in figuring out how to stay upright on the slippery course, with many riders employing the one-leg-out technique to keep their balance on several sections.
Lars van den Haar and Laurens Sweeck looked good even though they finished off the pace @37 seconds and @1:09. Current World Cup leader, Eli Iserbyt, finished 7th, but looked off-form, neither having the fitness or skills needed to win on such a course.
Tom Pidcock’s overall performance was incredible. He showed great skill and his fitness appears to be at a very high level. While both Vanthourenhout and Pidcock appeared the best at handling the course conditions, Pidcock looked better than Vanthourenhout on the descents. Pidcock’s decision to take the lead was probably what cost him the race. Being the much faster sprinter, Pidcock really only needed to sit on Vanthourenhout’s wheel and wait for the sprint. Instead, he decided to go for it and took the descent too fast and slid out.
With the 7th round of the World Cup this weekend in Hulst, Netherlands, the series will be halfway finished. Many riders who started strong in early October, like Iserbyt, may find themselves struggling to keep up with fresher rivals. In addition, the entry of former super ‘cross riders into the World Cup series, like Pidcock, as well as van der Poel and van Aert, will certainly take the competition to the next level. And if Pidcock’s performance is any indication of what is to come, we are in for some thrilling, edge-of-your-seat ‘cross in the coming weeks.
