Now That’s What I Call a Cyclo-Cross Victory!
On Sunday, October 20, 2024, Joran Wyseure took home his first major victory in the Telenet Superprestige 2024-2025 in Ruddervoorde. It’s safe to say he didn’t just win; he made it look like the final season of a ‘Game of Thrones’ episode—dramatic, unpredictable, and you couldn’t quite tell if someone was going to get brutally eliminated at any moment!
Our boy Joran was all the rage, leaving other Belgian stars like Niels Vandeputte and Michael Vanthourenhout in his dust. And let’s spare a moment for Eli Iserbyt, who was the favorite but had a bit of a stinker of a week with a three-match ban. I mean, poor Eli—he probably watched this showdown from the couch, sharing a bag of chips with his cat while muttering about “unfair advantages.”
The race kicked off, and let’s just say, Miss Start was played by none other than Toon Aerts, thanks to a heavy crash by Dutchman Ryan Kamp. If you ask me, I’m starting to think this whole ‘cyclo-cross thing’ is just a way for adrenaline junkies to experience the thrill of falling down… with style! We had Joran leading a tightly-knit posse of contenders like Vandeputte, Kuhn, and the European champion Vanthourenhout at the start line. Talk about an intimidating breakfast club!
Halfway through, things unraveled like a cheap sweater at a knitting convention. The battle became a tactical game reminiscent of a chess match, except everyone’s wearing muddy spandex and riding bikes; suddenly, you realize the only mating strategy is those mud-slicked maneuvers behind the wheels. As it turned out, Joran managed to snag a lead. What can I say? That guy’s got moves! Although, he nearly slid it away like a toddler in a slippery hallway. Still, he held on like my mum holding onto the last cookie from the biscuit tin.
🚴🇧🇪 | Wyseure wins his first cross with the pros! And how?! 🤯🤯 #Superprestige #Ruddervoorde
📺 Stream cyclo-cross on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/KS8plIddQd
In the end, as Joran crossed the finish line, you could practically hear an entire nation exhale. Vandeputte made a heroic sprint—like a contestant at a mammoth-sized buffet making one last dash—but alas, too little, too late! When the mud settled, Joran’s triumph wasn’t just about crossing the finish line first; it was about beating out the chaos that a muddy cyclo-cross can embody.
So what have we learned today? Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of grit, a fantastic sprint to the finish, and possibly a mud bath. Joran Wyseure, take a bow! You may have taken the first major win, but the love of the sport—and, let’s face it, the drama—has truly just begun!
Photo by: Cor Vos
Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 4:08 PM
Joran Wyseure won the first round of the Telenet Superprestige 2024-2025 in Ruddervoorde on Sunday. It is his first major victory in cyclo-cross for the Crelan-Corendon rider. After a strong final round, he managed to beat fellow countrymen Niels Vandeputte and Michael Vanthourenhout.
Initially, Eli Iserbyt was one of the candidate winners in Ruddervoorde, but the Belgian champion was missing due to a three-match suspension after the stamping incident in Beringen last week. That is why we looked at the winners of Beringen and Ardooie, Lars van der Haar and Michael Vanthourenhout respectively, but also Toon Aerts and Thibau Nys.
In the opening round the differences were still manageable, although Toon Aerts missed his start, partly due to a heavy crash by Ryan Kamp. The Dutchman came out of his pedal, hit the surface hard and had to give up. It was Joran Wyseure who reached the start-finish line for the first time as the leader. He led a group with Niels Vandeputte, Kevin Kuhn and European champion Michael Vanthourenhout.
Behind this, a larger group followed, including Nys and Van der Haar. Wyseure and Vanthourenhout did not stop, but nevertheless saw Vandeputte, Nys and Gerben Kuypers join in. The pace slowed down a bit, after which Van der Haar and Felipe Orts, among others, found their way to the front. The battle for victory was completely open again halfway through the cross, but Nys junior was no longer there.
photo: Cor Vos
It became a battle between Van der Haar, Vanthourenhout, Kuypers, Vandeputte and Wyseure, because Orts dropped out due to a mechanical defect. In the rain it was then a very strong Kuypers who ensured a new selection. Three laps before the end he tore everything apart. Van der Haar was therefore put under pressure and dropped out due to a mistake on the beams, but was able to return because it came to a standstill.
It became a tactical game several times in the final phase. In this way, Wyseure was able to take a lead and enter the final round solo. He gave away some of his lead due to a slide, but Crelan-Corendon’s crosser held up well despite the pressure from behind. Vandeputte managed to get very close to Wyseure with a strong final sprint, but it was too late to take the victory.
🚴🇧🇪 | Wyseure wins his first cross with the pros! And how?! 🤯🤯 #Superprestige #Ruddervoorde
📺 Stream cyclo-cross on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/KS8plIddQd
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) October 20, 2024
photo: Cor Vos