2023 European Cyclo-cross U23 Men’s: Jente Michels beats defending champion Verstrynge

Jente Michels (Belgium) has powered through the rain and deep mud to take the victory in the 2023 European Cyclo-cross Championships U23 Men’s race ahead of teammate and defending champion Emiel Verstrynge. France’s Rémi Lelandais was third.

After all racing was delayed to Sunday because of storms, the ultra-treacherous, rainsoaked course at Pont-Château made bikehandling and racecraft vital. The difficult conditions saw multiple crashes as riders skidded on the muddy, rutted course, with numerous abandons.

After early domination by the French on the 7-lap course, by the end of the third Michels emerged ahead of compatriot Emiel Verstrynge, with another Belgian, Ward Huybs, leading ahead of a shattered pack.

By lap 4, as the rain briefly eased, Verstrynge had joined Michels, with Rémi Lelandais (France) just 14 seconds back and closing the gap. However the duo’s advantage increased again to almost double that total.

The question of who would win was only resolved early in the last lap as Verstrynge started to struggle, when Michels surged clear. A podium finisher in the Euro’s in 2019 in the Junior category, with each uphill Michels simply increased his gap, finally crossing the line with a 25 second advantage on Verstrynge. 

While it was later reported that Verstrynge had punctured during the race, Lelandais briefly crashed on a sharp left-hander, but fortunately could remount in time to claim bronze.

Results

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