Exact Cross Zonnebeke: Vanthourenhout holds off Vermeersch for victory
Tim Merlier tunes up for road season with third
Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) won the Exact Cross Zonnebeke - Kasteelcross, soloing across the finish line 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and 48 seconds ahead of third-placed Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep).
A group of four riders emerged early in the race with Vanthourenhout and Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Yordi Cousus, Merlier, Vermeersch, and Lander Loockx (TDT-Unibet).
Vanthourenhout, Vermeersch and Merlier separated themselves from the others mid-race. However, Merlier slid out through a corner on lap seven and into the wooden stake, losing valuable seconds on the leading pair, Vanthourenhout and Vermeersch.
Vanthourenhout used his superior cyclocross skill to open a gap on his two nearest rivals during the penultimate lap, opening a two-second gap over Vermeersch and an additional two seconds on tiring Merlier.
The European Champion pushed his lead out to more than 20 seconds on the last lap, all that was needed to take the day's win and bring confidence into the next day's World Cup in Benidorm.
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
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