Vanthourenhout duo get the nod for Aigle 'cross World Cup

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The tight competition for selection to Belgium's team for the opening UCI cyclo-cross World Cup round in Aigle, Switzerland is over, and cousins Sven and Dieter Vanthourenhout were selected to complete the squad.

With the more obvious choices, Sven Nys, Niels Albert, Klaas Vantornout, Bart Aernouts, Bart Wellens and Kevin Pauwels taking up six of the eight allotted places, last weekend's Superprestige round in Ruddervoorde provided Belgian national coach Rudy de Bie with the information he needed to complete the team.

"Ruddervoorde left me with little doubt," De Bie told sport.be, who listed sixth placed Sven and 13th placed Dieter to take part in the first World Cup of the season.

Dieter Vanthourenhout wasn't the eighth-best Belgian in the race, that place belonged to Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea), but De Bie thinks that the 23-year-old has enough on his plate this season.

"The GvA Trofee, Superprestige and World Cup seems a bit much for a young guy like Tom," said De Bie.

Meeusen and teammate Rob Peeters will be reserves for Sunday's race.