Exact Cross Essen: Laurens Sweeck edges out Niels Vandeputte in close finish

Laurens Sweeck celebrates Exact Cross Essen victory ahead of Niels Vandeputte
Laurens Sweeck celebrates Exact Cross Essen victory ahead of Niels Vandeputte (Image credit: Getty Images)

Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) beat Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the Exact Cross Essen, beating his countryman to the line after a tense closing duel.

The pair led the race on the final lap after breaking away from an elite lead group, with Vandeputte leading the way into the last section of the circuit. Around the final bend onto the finishing straight, Vandeputte slipped momentarily and didn't clip into his pedal quickly enough.

"I didn't expect to win here right away, because the rest already have some competition in their legs and I had to endure the race a bit," Sweeck said after his win, according to WielerFlits.

"I couldn’t really start better than this. I think I was a little bit lucky that Niels faltered in that last corner because in principle you can't catch up with Niels there as he's also fast.

"It was a bit nervous. The wind played a role in the longer stretches at the beginning of the circuit. There was always a bit of a jostling towards the forest. I was able to keep myself in a good position throughout the race.

"This is a very important victory for me because it has been a long time since I won."

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Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.

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