What a weekend for Niels Vandeputte. After a five-week recess, the 2025-2026 X2O Badkamers Trofee was back with Sunday’s sandy, penultimate round, the Krawatencross in Lille, Belgium. The day after he won his second Superprestige title in a row, Vandeputte took his first X2O Trofee victory of the season, his fifth overall.

Preliminaries

Joris Nieuwenhuis was in the catbird seat after six rounds, leading Cameron Mason by 2:52. The series leader claimed the Lokeren race in November.

Nieuwenhuis celebrating Lokeren win.

Mees Hendrikx, in his distinctive green kit, wrestled the hole shot away from Vandeputte, but the latter dove across to trailblaze through the sand. Filipe Orts claimed Position 3. Nieuwenhuis and Mason kept wary of each other. Vandeputte and Orts were first over the line, Hendrikx lagging a bit. Mason was far behind Nieuwenhuis.

Vandeputte, Hendrikx, Orts and Toon Aerts on Lap 1.

Vandeputte distanced the Spaniard at the start of Lap 2. Hendrikx, European champion Toon Aerts, Nieuwenhuis and Saturday’s Superprestige victor Michael Vanthourenhout was the chase order behind, with gaps among them.

Mees Hendrikx has really come on at the end of the season.

As Orts continued to toil in his attempt to stay with Vandeputte on Lap 3 of 8, Hendrikx, Aerts, Nieuwenhuis and Vanthourenhout came together to make for a dandy podium scrap.

Orts’ podium in the home Benidorm World Cup was a season highlight.

As Vanthourenhout aspired to dump his chasemates on Lap 4, Orts caught himself in a fall. Orts yo-yoed behind Vandeputte. Nieuwenhuis, aware that Vandeputte was close to slipping past Mason in the GC, powered past Vanthourenhout.

Heading into the second half of the race, Orts pulled faces to keep up with the Alpecin-Premier Tech Belgian, but to no avail. Now solo, Vandeputte poured it on to pressure Nieuwenhuis. The gap between these two was 4:35 at the beginning of the day.

The podium scrap between Vanthourenhout, Nieuwenhuis and Aerts.

Fatigue snipped Aerts from the podium competition on Lap 6. On the bell lap, a Nieuwenhuis error heading into the woods gave Vanthourenhout the advantage, one he drove home.

Fourth place Nieuwenhuis actually increased his series lead to 3:17 over Vandeputte. Even Aerts moved over Mason in the GC.

The final round is next Sunday in Brussels.

2025-2026 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 7, Lille
1) Niels Vandeputte (Belgium/Alpecin-Premier Tech) 58:58
2) Filipe Orts (Spain/Ridley) +0:28
3) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen) +0:57