X2O Trofee Oudenaarde: Thibau Nys wins Koppenbergcross after heated battle with Michael Vanthourenhout

Vanthourenhout took the inside line on the steep descent leading into the climb, then accelerated first on the right. Nys responded on the left, powering past his rival to claim his third victory at the Koppenbergcross.

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Gerben Kuypers (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) took third, crossing the line 42 seconds behind the winner.

“It was nice. I had the legs I hoped for, and I felt in control most of the time, but then I kept making stupid mistakes, or I was involved in a crash of someone else, and that kept pushing me backwards in the race. And it was not easy to keep fighting, but I felt the legs were still really good, so I was waiting for the last lap to find the right moment to make the move,” Nys said.

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When asked if he was ready for the European Cyclo-cross Championships next weekend, he added, “Physically OK, but technically it needs to improve quite a lot in one week’s time to compete for the European jersey.”

Victor van de Putte (Charles Liégeois CX Team) went out fast from the start, as the riders accelerated up the climb, causing chaos in the field. A group of five, including Nys, Vanthourenhout, Joris Nieuwenhuis (Heizomat-Cube) and Kuypers.

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A lull over the following laps caused the front group to swell, but the calm was shattered when Van de Putte clipped a barrier and crashed for the second time. Riding close behind, Nys also went down while trying to avoid him and lost 30 seconds straightening his handlebars before getting back on his bike.

Vanthourenhout immediately went to the front to push the gap, while behind Nys was picking his way up riders, reducing his gap to nine seconds with three laps to go. But Nys slid out, this time on the derailleur side, forcing him to take a new bike, and saw his gap go up to 12 seconds at the start of the penultimate lap. Behind the pair, Kuypers was solidly in third.

The juncture was finally made by the start of the eighth and final lap, with Vanthourenhout taking the inside line on the steep descent to take the front before the final time up the climb.