Nys wins in Neerpelt

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Sven Nys completed his hat trick, winning the Soudal Grote Prijs in Neerpelt on Saturday for the third consecutive year. He outsprinted world champion Niels Albert for the win, with Klaas Vantornout finishing third, 25 seconds later.

Nys joined up with Rob Peeters and Tom Meeusen in the first of ten laps, and then soloed away on the second lap. Albert moved up to second on the third lap, but could not join Nys until the seventh lap, and they stayed together until the end, with the Belgian national champion outsprinting the world champion.

After finishing only 11th in his last race, Nys was not certain of his form. “But I felt immediately today that it was going well. Even when I rode my own tempo, the others couldn't follow me,” he said, according to sporza.be. “When Niels approached second by second, I slowed down a bit. because I knew I could win in the sprint.”

“Sven was better and deserved to win,” Albert admitted. “I missed my start and that is fatal on a course like this. Then when I got on Sven's wheel, I made a mistake in the sand. Maybe I missed some freshness in this competition.”