Before it takes a long break, the 2025-2026 Superprestige series reached its midway point on Saturday in Merksplas, Belgium, with the Aardbeiencross, or Strawberry Cross. It was the setting for a fine performance from Joris Nieuwenhuis, who had to withstand a crash, a broken shoe and an unhitched chain to win his third race of the season. Last season’s GC champion Niels Vandeputte took over the series lead from Michael Vanthourenhout.
Preliminaries
Winner of the first two rounds, Vanthourenhout topped the GC table by four points over Vandeputte and Emiel Verstrynge and Joris Nieuwenhuis by 11 points. Laurens Sweeck gave his season an injection of vigour by winning the last round.
Dan van Lierop was a surprise early leader on Lap 1. Pim Ronhaar grabbed the reins and tugged the long string. Belgian champion Thibau Nys lurked nearby. Vanthourenhout and Sweeck had work to do. Nys, Ronhaar and Vandeputte crossed the line at 6:51 but without a big gap to the next rider.
Nys leads Ronhaar on Lap 1.
Vandeputte offered his pace-making services at the start of Lap 2. Nieuwenhuis appeared near the pointy end of the race. A Vandeputte mistake put Nys back in the catbird seat. Nieuwenhuis went down in a muddy corner, breaking a shoe. Jente Michels pushed first over the line.
An early crash interrupted Nieuwenhuis’s flow.
On Lap 3 of 9 Nys reestablished himself as the locomotive of a nine-car train. Nieuwenhuis’s Merksplas bummer continued with a mechanical that dropped him from the nontet. British champion Cameron Mason’s strong technical riding had him pulling Michels over the line in Position 1.
Ronhaar at the front on Lap 3.
Spaniard Filipe Orts toiled to keep up with the front group at the beginning of Lap 4. Mason wouldn’t relinquish Position 1. In the background Vanthourenhout fought to keep the series lead.
Mason and Michels first through the sand on Lap 4.
Lap 5 saw a decanting of the front group–now it was Mason, Verstrynge, Nys and teammates Michels and Vandeputte. Nieuwenhuis endeavored to bridge, and he made it by the midpoint of the contest.
Nieuwenhuis pitted at the start of Lap 6. Nys drove, Mason was tailgunner Charlie. By the end of the lap, Nys and Mason had a gap to mend. Nieuwenhuis started to force the issue on the next circuit, Verstrynge desperate to keep up.Four riders had to chase Nieuwenhuis hard on the penultimate lap.
Right shoe boa dangling, Nieuwenhuis had a 12-second buffer when he heard the bell. A mistake in the sand pit put Nys out of the running for the podium. A clean sand section earned Vandeputte the runner-up and Verstrynge nicked the final step from Michels.
The series won’t continue until December 23 at Heusden-Zolder.
2025-2026 Superprestige, Round 4, Merksplas
1) Joris Nieuwenhuis (The Netherlands/Ridley) 1:00:26
2) Niels Vandeputte (Belgium/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:06
3) Emiel Verstrynge (Belgium/Crelan-Corendon) +0:07