Nys beats Vantornout in Superprestige Gavere

With two impressive wins in two days Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) underlined his dominance in the cyclo-cross scene. His Saturday win on a fast course in Hasselt was a demonstration of both tactical and technical skills. On Sunday, Nys concluded his great weekend with a classy finish in muddy Asper-Gavere, his eighth win in the cyclo-cross classic. In a two-man sprint, Nys easily bested Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor).

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this good. I’ve certainly got more punch in my legs than other years. Klaas was very good today but there’s only a few riders I have to fear in the sprint,” Nys said.

Nys is still unbeaten in the Hansgrohe Superprestige series this season and duly strengthened his lead over world champion Niels Albert (BKCP- Powerplus). Albert had an off-day and finished in a season-worst sixth place.

In Gavere, the 36-year-old Nys dealt well with a top-notch performance from Klaas Vantornout. The latter found a muddy, demanding course that suited his abilities to perfection. Vantornout anticipated Nys’ first acceleration by going on a solo attack during the third of eight tough laps. One lap later, Nys moved forward and bridged up with Vantornout when starting the fifth lap. What followed was a thriller in which both riders tried to get rid of each other, especially during the final ascent towards Grenier castle.

“Sven sneaked past me when I didn’t expect it. I had to do something,” Vantornout said. Off the bike he sprinted his way over Nys, blocking his path. Their positions changed a couple more times but eventually they were still together on top of the climb. “I gained a few metres on him after the pit but it wasn’t enough,” Vantornout added.

A sprint would conclude the thriller. Vantornout led it out but Nys blew past him.

“My sprint was really fast but what can you say about that from Sven. What is it he can’t do,” Vantornout wondered. “He’s superior to everybody these days.”

Fifty seconds later, Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) concluded a strong race with a surprising third place, his first podium of the season in a series race.

“Finishing on the podium is a surprise to me. It’s beyond all expectations, especially in a classic like this one,” Wellens told Cyclingnews. During the first half of the race Wellens rode near the front, before riding in a group with Nys and Kevin Pauwels behind leader Vantornout and chaser Bart Aernouts (AA Drink-Leontien.nl).

“My mechanics and father told me to hold back and pace myself but I was comfortable. I was waiting for Nys to attack. When he did [halfway the race] I was caught behind Bart Aernouts and lost a lot of metres. From there I rode my own race. I bridged up with Pauwels and got rid of him in the running sections,” Wellens added.

First non-Belgian rider in Gavere was Thijs van Amerongen (AA Drink-Leontien .nl) in eighth place at more than two minutes from Nys. The Dutchman led the race for a while until he – like many other riders – was confronted with a broken derailleur. Also notable was the performance from American rider Jonathan Page. After a lacklustre start to the season Page – still without a main sponsor – bounced back from a bad start to finish twelfth, grabbing his first Superprestige points of the season. “This is very good for my head. I finally showed I can ride a bike,” Page said.

The next round in the Hansgrohe Superprestige series is held next Saturday in Gieten, Netherlands.

Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony1:03:02
2Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor0:00:02
3Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet - Fidea0:00:50
4Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Revor0:01:05
5Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet - Fidea0:01:30
6Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus0:01:52
7Bart Aernouts (Bel) AA Drink Cyclocross Team0:02:07
8Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink0:02:15
9Julien Taramarcaz (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team0:03:05
10Lars van der Haar (Ned) Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team0:03:24
11Aurelien Duval (Fra) UV Aube0:04:09
12Jonathan Page (USA)0:04:19
13Jan Denuwelaere (Bel) Style & Concept0:04:36
14Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony0:04:45
15Jim Aernouts (Bel) Sunweb-Revor0:05:22
16Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned)0:05:45
17Martin Zlamalik (Cze) Landbouwkrediet-KDL0:05:53
18Isaac Suarez (Spa)0:06:05
19Lubomir Petrus (Cze) BKCP - Powerplus0:06:15
20Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Cyclingteam De Rijke-Shanks0:09:18
21 (-1 lap)Bart Hofman (Bel) Afdeling Oost-Vlaanderen WBV-VZWRow 20 - Cell 2
22 (-2 laps)Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP - PowerplusRow 21 - Cell 2
23 (-2 laps)Jose Antonio Diez (Spa)Row 22 - Cell 2
24 (-3 laps)Alexander Revell (NZl) Revolution BicycleRow 23 - Cell 2
DNFRadomir Simunek (Cze) BKCP - PowerplusRow 24 - Cell 2
DNFDieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP - PowerplusRow 25 - Cell 2
DNFVincent Baestaens (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-EuphonyRow 26 - Cell 2
DNFJoeri Adams (Bel) Telenet - FideaRow 27 - Cell 2
DNFMatthieu Boulo (Fra) Roubaix Lille MétropoleRow 28 - Cell 2
DNFGerben de Knegt (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling TeamRow 29 - Cell 2
DNFIan Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles-SpecializedRow 30 - Cell 2
DNFMariusz Gil (Pol) BabocoRow 31 - Cell 2
DNFMarcel Meisen (Ger) BKCP - PowerplusRow 32 - Cell 2
DNFMicki van Empel (Ned) Landbouwkrediet-KDLRow 33 - Cell 2
DNFNiels Wubben (Ned) Rabobank-Giant Off-Road TeamRow 34 - Cell 2
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Superprestige standings after 4 rounds
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony60pts
2Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus52Row 1 - Cell 3
3Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Revor48Row 2 - Cell 3
4Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor43Row 3 - Cell 3
5Bart Aernouts (Bel) AA Drink Cyclocross Team41Row 4 - Cell 3
6Lars van der Haar (Ned)39Row 5 - Cell 3
7Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet - Fidea33Row 6 - Cell 3
8Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet - Fidea32Row 7 - Cell 3
9Julien Taramarcaz (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team25Row 8 - Cell 3
10Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink25Row 9 - Cell 3
11Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus16Row 10 - Cell 3
12Marcel Meisen (Ger) BKCP - Powerplus14Row 11 - Cell 3
13Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet - Fidea11Row 12 - Cell 3
14Radomir Simunek (Cze) BKCP - Powerplus8Row 13 - Cell 3
15Aurelien Duval (Fra) UV Aube7Row 14 - Cell 3
16Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP - Powerplus6Row 15 - Cell 3
17Twan van den Brand (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling Team5Row 16 - Cell 3
18Jim Aernouts (Bel) Sunweb-Revor5Row 17 - Cell 3
19Jan Denuwelaere (Bel) Style & Concept5Row 18 - Cell 3
20Jonathan Page (USA)4Row 19 - Cell 3
21Mariusz Gil (Pol) Baboco3Row 20 - Cell 3
22Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony3Row 21 - Cell 3
23Martin Zlamalik (Cze) Landbouwkrediet-KDL2Row 22 - Cell 3
24Niels Wubben (Ned) Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team1Row 23 - Cell 3

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