Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech) outsprinted Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) to take his first cyclo-cross win of the season at Saturday’s Aardbeiencross in Merksplas, round four of the 2026-27 Superprestige series.
Wyseure took control on the final lap of the fast, tactical race, repeatedly putting in digs to reduce the seven-rider lead group, accelerating in and out of the corners. Coming out of the sand section, he, with Vandeputte on his wheel, had opened a gap of several seconds as they sped towards the finish line.
Wyseure led onto the finishing straight, but Vandeputte was able to come around and raise his hands in victory.
Spanish champion Felipe Orts managed to close the gap and finished third.
A crash on the fourth lap took Michael Vanthourenhout out of contention when he hit the ground hard after his Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw teammate Gerben Kuypers hit a pole on a left-hand corner. Vanthourenhout slapped the ground after his crash, as the emergency team came to assist. After some time, he was able to walk away from the course, his kit ripped on his left hip.
More to come….
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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